Forget the boom box and the guitar. Visitors to Clark Park last Friday night had the chance to hear music of a different sort being performed: selections from the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra.
On a beautiful summer evening, nearly 3,000 people filled the park's natural amphitheater, known as the "bowl," to hear a 70-minute performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol, Dvorak's Symphony No.8 and Ravel's Bol‚ro.
Led by associate conductor Rossen Milanov, the orchestra's symphonic stylings whisked the audience away to such countries as Spain and Czechoslovakia, but not before allowing them to sing along with Ward's America, the Beautiful.
And although these selections were specifically chosen for the outdoor venue, some in the crowd thought that what they heard was less important than seeing the Orchestra's full complement of 105 musicians seated on stage before them.
"I don't care what they play," said area resident Sharon Duckett, a longtime orchestra devotee. "I just want the Orchestra."
Many arrived at the free, public event armed with stuffed picnic baskets and soft blankets to make an evening of the affair.
Among them was area resident Kerry Haynie, who was enjoying a dinner of sandwiches, fruit and salad among family and friends.
"I think that it's a good thing to highlight this particular neighborhood, since it often gets negative press," he said.
The Philadelphia Orchestra began straying from its plush Academy of Music home last year to commemorate its 100th anniversary, with neighborhood concerts being held in such places as Upper Darby, North Philadelphia, Center City and Northeast Philadelphia.
"It's really great to get out of our normal performance venue because it enables us to connect with people in a different kind of way," Orchestra President Joseph Kluger said. "I think the nature of the experience is more unique for the musicians as well as for the audience -- it creates some kind of special electricity."
The event also showcased the diversity of University City residents.
"This is the most beautiful thing that I've seen for a long time," emcee Ukee Washington, a West Philadelphia native and news anchor for KYW-TV3, said between his official duties. "You see so many beautiful faces -- people of all races and cultures -- coming together in the park on a wonderful night. This just has to make you feel good."
By bringing the music to the people, that also meant those "who might not get the opportunity to hear them otherwise," Elizabeth Bressi-Stoppe, vice president for executive affairs at the University of the Sciences, said.
A number of students were present in the crowd as well, finding the prospect of a no-cost Orchestra concert enough of a lure to get them over the 40th Street dividing line.
"I didn't even know that there was a park here," College junior Crista Farrell said. "It's pretty cool."
For the University City District, it's good to see that people are discovering University City -- a goal the UCD had in mind when it partnered with the Orchestra to produce the event. Among its chief duties were raising funds to cover the concert's nearly $125,000 cost, according to UCD marketing director Allison Kelsey.
The Clark Park concert will be the sole neighborhood performance by the Orchestra this year, due to a demanding schedule that included an Asian tour this past spring, a tour of the U.S. in the fall and the annual five-week summer concert series currently underway at the Mann Center. But Orchestra Education Director Gary Wood said a higher number of concerts can be expected in future years.
"Two is probably very likely and three is extra special, if we could do that," he said.
But a return to Clark Park may be a few years off.
"After this experience, there would be no reason why we wouldn't come back," Wood said, explaining that University City was selected this year because its people were so "friendly."
"But we do want to share this opportunity around the city," he added.
