Sunday, March 16th – 8:00PM
ARS NOVA WORKSHOP
Walter Wierbos and guests      Lee / Evans / Beresford
With                                      With
Walter Wierbos, trombone       Okkyung Lee, cello
Evan Lipson, double bass         Peter Evans, trumpet
Katt Hernandez, violin      a   . Steve Beresford, piano
Toshi Makihara, drums

ADMISSION  $12     

Free for Art Alliance Members
Tickets available at the door or at www.arsnovaworkshop.com
                           
The Art Alliance is thrilled to continue the collaboration with the critically acclaimed Ars Nova Workshop in 2008, with a roster of scheduled performances that rivals the eclectic mix of jazz and experimental music that filled our galleries in the fall season. Following January performances by the Steve Lehman Quintet and Jaimie Branch Trio, the Art Alliance spring season kicks off with a double bill featuring Walter Wierbos, widely considered one of the world’s leading trombone players, and Steve Beresford, the noted improviser and composer considered one of Europe’s most versatile musical minds.  For more information on the presentations by ANW at the Art Alliance and venues throughout the city, please visit their website for more information.

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Wednesday, March 19th – 7:00PM
MEET THE CURATORS
2008 Philadelphia Film Festival
In association with the Philadelphia Film Society
and Greater Philadelphia Filmmakers, a program
of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office
FREE ADMISSION

As the 2008 Philadelphia Film Festival fast approaches, the Art Alliance once again teams up with the Philadelphia Film Society and Greater Philadelphia Filmmakers to present the inside scoop on this year’s festival, as the curators reveal their favorite films, recount the programming process, and entertain questions on the films that are not to be missed!  This free event is open to members and the general public, and will feature film clips, inside tips, and the unveiling of the official program guide and festival lineup.

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Friday, March 28th – 7:00PM
LAST FRIDAY AT PAA
7:00PM – Matthew Dickman, poet
In association with American Poetry Review
8:00PM – Irene Molloy, singer/songwriter
FREE WITH GALLERY ADMISSION  $5

The alignment of two successful Art Alliance programs into a single evening was a winning combination in our fall season, and it returns in 2008 with our Last Friday at PAA series.  In an event that is representative of our history as the nation’s oldest multidisciplinary arts center, our Last Friday at PAA series presents a reading in association with the American Poetry Review, a performance by a local singer/songwriter, and extended gallery hours for our current exhibit, presently featuring Gijs Bakker and Jewelry.  In our March installment, we will feature poet Matthew Dickman, the 2008 winner of the Honickman/American Poetry Review First Book Prize for his manuscript All American Poem. Following his reading, the Art Alliance is thrilled to welcome singer/songwriter Irene Molloy, herself a successful multidisciplinary artist with appearances on Broadway (The Civil War) and television (Grosse Pointe, Andy Richter Controls the Universe), for an acoustic performance of her dynamic new compositions.

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Sunday, March 30th – 3:00PM
LECTURES IN SONG – Harold Arlen
With Fred Miller
ADMISSION  $20     PAA Members  $10

Singer, pianist, and lecturer Fred Miller returns to the Art Alliance to continue his popular Lecture in Song series, which celebrates all of the musical titans of the Golden Age of American music.  With a recent emphasis on the prolific songwriters of the day, the spring installments by Mr. Miller begin with a treatment of the masterful Harold Arlen, whose use of jazz and blues in popular song was a constant source of wonder to his admiring colleagues.  In a song catalogue filled with standards such as Stormy Weather, Come Rain Or Come Shine, and Over the Rainbow, Harold Arlen earned his celebrated spot in musical history, rising through the ranks of show business as a singer, bandleader, and rehearsal pianist to become one of the greatest songwriters of the century.

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Friday, April 4th - 8:00PM
   Saturday, April 5th - 8:00PM
CABARET AT PAA
With Denise Whelan
ADMISSION  $30     PAA Members and Students  $15

As the cabaret series at the Art Alliance continues to build momentum, we are pleased to welcome Barrymore Award nominee and Philadelphia favorite Denise Whelan for a weekend set of performances this April, joined on piano by accompanist and musical director Jeff McDonnell.  A talented singer, actress, and songwriter, Denise’s extensive list of critically acclaimed performances include Man of La Mancha, Windy City, and Side by Side by Sondheim at the Walnut Street Theatre, as well as a Barrymore Award nominated turn as the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd at the Arden Theatre Company among many others. Her performance background also includes celebrated cabaret appearances at Odette’s in New Hope and Don’t Tell Mama in New York City, making her a perfect fit for this popular series that has welcomed Michael Ogborn, Mary Martello, and Karen Gross in recent seasons.

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Wednesday, April 9th - 7:30PM
LECTURE AND RECITAL

The Delius Society
FREE ADMISSION

For over thirty years, this local branch of the British Delius Society has been producing concerts, lectures, and programs to promote the music of Frederick Delius and his contemporaries.  The Society returns to the Art Alliance with a lecture and recital event on Sir John Stainer, the Victorian Era organist, choirmaster, teacher, and composer.   Visiting lecturer Dr. Jeremy Dibble of Durham University in England will lead the discussion, and will be joined by mezzo-soprano, and College of New Jersey faculty member Nora Sirbaugh for a program of compositions by the featured composer.

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Saturday, April 12th – 8:00PM
RECITAL SERIES
PROJECT

Bluring the lines of classical music

Greg Pattillo, flute
Eric Stephenson, cello
Peter Seymour, bass
ADMISSION $20      PAA Members and Students $10

After a dynamic Philadelphia debut at the Art Alliance last season, the groundbreaking trio PROJECT returns for another energetic and innovative performance of their original compositions in our intimate gallery space. Following the release of their debut album Winter in June last year, PROJECT has been wowing audiences across the country with a sound that is best described as a fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and world music balanced by a sincere allegiance to their classical roots.  With an impressive list of individual performance credits between them, cellist Eric Stephenson, bassist Peter Seymour, and YouTube sensation Greg Pattillo on flute have joined forces for a musical experience that is not to be missed.

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Friday, April 18th – 5:00 until 8:30PM
CENTER CITY DISTRICT GALLERY NIGHT
FREE ADMISSION

In what continues to be one of the most popular events on the Philadelphia Arts Calendar, the Art Alliance is happy to continue the collaboration with Center City District, for this evening of extended gallery hours and free admission to galleries and art centers throughout downtown Philadelphia.

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Monday, April 28th – 7:00PM
NEW PLAY READINGS
Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company
Rage of Achilles
By Paul Parente
FREE ADMISSION

Following the success of last season’s new play event in collaboration with Co/Works, the Art Alliance will join forces this spring with two critically acclaimed theatre companies in the city, both of which have been successful in providing both artistic excellence and increased accessibility through an emphasis on offering free performances.  In April, Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company will take to the gallery to present a reading of Rage of Achilles, written by company member Paul Parente.  While the recognized focus of CCTC has been classic plays in outdoor venues, the Art Alliance is pleased to welcome them for a reading of this anticipated new work as they prepare for their summer 2008 production of Taming of the Shrew.

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Wednesday, April 30th – 6:30PM
TASTING
Chaddsford Winery
ADMISSION $40   PAA Members $20

As the Art Alliance continues to spotlight local vineyards and breweries in our popular tasting series, we are pleased to welcome Chaddsford Winery, the award winning wine producer from the Brandywine Valley, for a intimate tasting event in our gallery space which is currently featuring the only U.S. Appearance of Gijs Bakker and Jewelry.

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Since opening its doors in 1996, Victory Brewing Company has become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed breweries in the region. The Art Alliance is pleased to welcome them for a limited seating tasting event in our intimate gallery space, which will feature a combination of year round and seasonal selections, as well as extended gallery hours for Gijs Bakker and Jewelry, our current visual arts exhibit making its only U.S. Appearance.

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As a leader in musical outreach programs since 1974, Musicopia is a not-for-profit organization that brings the gift of music education to pre-school, elementary, and secondary school children throughout the Philadelphia region.  The Art Alliance is thrilled to collaborate with this esteemed organization for a performance event featuring students who have participated during the current school year, while also introducing the students and their families to our own proud history of visual, literary, and performance events.

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For the next installment in our Recital Series, the Art Alliance is pleased to present a solo performance by acclaimed and award winning Philadelphia pianist Brenna Berman in our intimate gallery space. As an Artists International New York Debut Award winner, Ms. Berman made her debut in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall this past March, and will be performing several selections from that recent program. Ms. Berman earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Master of Arts in Piano Performance from Hunter College. She began her studies in Philadelphia with Robert Durso, Senior Director of the Golandsky Institute, in 2001, and continues studying with him today. Her other recent recitals have taken place at such venues as The Berkeley Piano Club in Berkeley, The Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York, The Mandell Theater of Philadelphia, the Slought Foundation in Philadelphia, and Warner Concert Hall in Oberlin.

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As the Lectures in Song Series continues at the Art Alliance, we welcome back Fred Miller for his treatment of the incomparable partnership of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Beginning in 1919, these two schoolboys turned Broadway and the entire world on its collective ear with a canon of tunes that includes such standards as “Where or When”, “Lady is A Tramp”, “I Could Write a Book”, and “Bewitched” among many others. They will forever be remembered for sweeping aside sentiment for something that was eternally fresh, witty, poignant, heartbreaking, topical, romantic, sexy, and brilliantly crafted… making it distinctively Rodgers & Hart.

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The next installment of the New Play Reading series at the Art Alliance welcomes company members of Shakespeare in Clark Park for a reading of Any Other Name by playwright George Brant. Both actors and author will participate in a talkback following the performance, as we happily collaborate with another critically acclaimed Philadelphia theatre company that shares our emphasis on combining artistic excellence with increased accessibility.

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The summer starts with a flourish as we welcome Philadelphia based artists Katie Ford and John Conahan for the next Last Friday at PAA event. Katie Ford is an award-winning poet who has authored Deposition, Coliseum, as well as the chapbook, Storm. Her individual poems have appeared in the American Poetry Review, the Paris Review, Ploughshares, and the Seneca Review, and she is currently the poetry editor for the New Orleans Review. John Conahan is a piano-based singer/songwriter who has been featured on national and regional radio programs throughout the country, and performs locally and regularly at the Tin Angel, World Café Live, and the Kimmel Center among many others.

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