J A N 19TH 2018
2017-2018
SEASON Rufus Wainwright | December 2017 | 1
17-18 SEASON
FEBRUARY
2-4
JANUARY 19, 2018 Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
SINATRA
& Friends
CONCERT PROGRAM
FEATURING
FIRST HALF
Michael Krajewski Music Director
Music selections, including “April Fools,” “The Art Teacher,” and “Vibrate” will be announced from stage.
The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus Accompaniment
INTERMISSION
Cathy Mason Tour Manager
SECOND HALF MARCH 9-11
APRIL 6 - 8
Music selections, including “Poses,” “Going To a Town,” and
Chris Sorem Sound Engineer
“Tiergarten” will be announced from stage.
APRIL
27-29
#PHILLYPOPS
Post a photo of your Rufus Wainwright experience on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with hashtag #phillypops for a chance to win a pair of tickets to any Philly POPS Subscription Series concert.*
GET TICKETS TODAY AT PHILLYPOPS.ORG or CALL 215.893.1999
Rufus Wainwright | December 2017 | 3
In 2010, he was the first artist to complete a 5-concert residency at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. In September 2014, he had his debut with the London Proms at Royal Albert Hall and performed at the Last Night of the Proms in the Park. Other achievements include the 2012 world premiere of Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, the feature length music documentary that captured the May 2011 tribute concert honoring Rufus’s late mother, the legendary Kate McGarrigle. In 2013, he sang for Billy Joel at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, and the fall of 2015 saw the Deutsche Grammophon release of a double CD/vinyl recording of Prima Donna with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Deutsche Grammophon also released an album of Shakespeare Sonnets set to Rufus’s music on April 22, 2016 in celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The Canadian Opera Company commissioned Wainwright’s second opera, about Roman Emperor Hadrian, to premiere in Toronto in the fall of 2018.
ABOUT about
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus
First formed by a group of men Christmas caroling locally in 1981, the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus
Rufus Wainwright, one of the great male vocalists, composers, and songwriters of his generation, has released eight studio albums, three DVDs, and three live albums. He has collaborated with artists ranging from Elton John, David Byrne, Mark Ronson, Joni Mitchell to Burt Bacharach. At the age of 14, he was named Canada’s best young musician and later received the Juno Award for Best Alternative Album. His album Rufus does Judy, recorded at Carnegie Hall in 2006, was nominated for a Grammy.
(PGMC) has grown to 140+ active TTBB (Tenor
His acclaimed first opera, Prima Donna, premiered at the Manchester International Festival in
in Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Academy of Music, Prince Theater,
July 2009 and has since been presented in London, Toronto and BAM in New York. In 2010
and Arden Theater. Additionally, PGMC has sung with stars like Sandy Duncan and Jason
Wainwright was commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony to compose and interpret Five
Bateman, Juanita Holiday, Margaret Cho and Andrea McArdle. The Chorus has been awarded
Shakespeare Sonnets, a five-movement song cycle that sets Shakespeare’s Sonnets to orchestra
the 2016 Human and Civil Rights Award at the Pennsylvania State Education Association
and voice. They have since been performed worldwide by orchestras including the Chicago and
Celebrating Excellence Awards, as well as selected for the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund’s Non-
Montreal Symphonies.
Profit Hero Award in 2017.
4 | Encore! | The Philly POPS
1, Tenor 2, Baritone, Bass) chorus members, and has steadily increased its visibility within the LGBTQ+ community and among Philadelphia arts organizations. The season includes three main stage productions in December, March, and May. In addition, the Chorus performs at cabarets, fundraisers, and other community events throughout the year. The select ensemble Brotherly Love (BROLO) performs at other concerts and community outreach events throughout the year. PGMC’s repertoire includes a broad range of styles, including music from the 17th century to the present -- spirituals, sacred music, holiday tunes, love ballads, comic pieces, pop and rock songs, Broadway and Hollywood tunes, opera choruses, folk songs from around the world, the latest LGBT empowerment music and other commissioned LGBT works. PGMC has performed
Rufus Wainwright | December 2017 | 5
SPOTLIGHT
The William Way LGBT Community Center The William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Community Center supports and advocates for the well-being and acceptance of sexual and gender minorities through human service, recreational, educational, and cultural programming. Over the last 42 years, the Center has evolved into a prominent fourstory, privately owned building near the geographic heart of the City. The Center is open 365 days per year, serving over 15,000 unique LGBT visitors and allies annually. Their programs include
THE PHILLY POPS TODAY Thanks to its passionate supporters, the Philly POPS is generating significant growth in ticket sales and attendance, with particular growth in the POPS subscription base. These advances are the driving force behind innovative programming for new audiences, meaningful work that benefits local communities, and a new slate of in-school education programs.
peer counseling, social and support groups, senior services, an art
The Philly POPS is breaking out of the concert hall and bringing music to the streets of Philadelphia and its
gallery, a lending library, an LGBT archives, low-cost venue space, a
surrounding towns. Look for POPS artists performing in pop-up beer gardens, city parks, leisure venues,
public cyber center with free Wi-Fi, hiking and activity groups, and
public schools and alongside some of the greatest vocalists of our time.
other recreational, health, fitness, and educational opportunities.
“The William Way LGBT Community Center is thrilled to partner with The Philly POPS to welcome Rufus Wainwright to Philadelphia on January 19th. The Philly POPS has a great history of supporting the LGBT Communities of the Delaware Valley, and we’re grateful for their support, and the chance to host a VIP reception for Rufus following the concert at the Kimmel Center,” -Chris Bartlett, Executive Director of William Way.
Salute Series The Salute Series, an expanding portfolio of programs performed on American holidays, celebrates those who serve our country, its cities, and communities. Performances including Memorial Salute, POPS on Independence on July 3, POPS in Philadelphia on July 4, and Veterans Salute showcase the magic of the orchestra to diverse and enthusiastic crowds. The annual I’ll Be Home for Christmas concert rings in the holiday season with a free concert for active military, police, and fire department families.
POPS in Schools POPS in Schools, an EITC certified program, enhances music education for approximately 2,000 students in the Philadelphia School District by embedding POPS teaching artists in ten high schools and four elementary schools to train, coach and mentor music students. The Philly POPS is the presenting sponsor of the All-City Jazz Festival held each spring.
DONATE TODAY!
POPS Outside!
Tonight’s Rufus Wainwright concert has partnered with the William Way LGBT Community Center to spread
unexpected places, including monthly community engagement experiences, free pre-concert activities and
awareness and to aid in the Center’s fundraising activities. Please consider a donation to William Way LGBT
in-school events.
Community Center this evening. Drop off your check to the POPS Donor table on behalf of this worthy cause or donate online at: waygay.giv.sh
Outside concert hall, POPS Outside! brings the talented and experienced musicians of The Philly POPS to
POPS Presents POPS Presents events expand The Philly POPS reach into a variety of genres and with guest artists of evergreater reputation and talent, including Andrea Bocelli and Deana Martin. The Philly POPS has proudly been a Philadelphia icon for the last four decades and happily anticipates reaching tens of thousands of new listeners through these expanding programs.
Special thanks to our media partner, Philadelphia Gay News! 6 | Encore! | The Philly POPS
Rufus Wainwright | December 2017 | 7
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