The jokes of Bill Cosby, the poetry of Maya Angelou and the thoughts of Malcolm Gladwell have all graced the halls of the 79-year-old Irvine Auditorium.
On Thursday, the sounds of the Philadelphia Orchestra will join the list.
The Opening Night Concert and Gala for the orchestra’s 2011-2012 season was moved from its original location at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall due to ongoing labor negotiations between the Kimmel Center and Philadelphia Union Local 8 of the International Alliance of Theatrical-Stage Employees. The move was announced last Friday.
IATSE — which includes ushers, box-office employees and stagehands, among others — first went on strike Oct. 1, leading scheduled performances to be postponed. After a week-long cooling-off period, negotiations resumed yesterday.
“We are disappointed that our workers represented by IATSE, Local 8 have chosen to strike,” Kimmel Center President and Chief Executive Officer Anne Ewers said in a statement. Although the Kimmel Center wishes to treat its employees “fairly,” the negotiations come “at a grave hour in Philadelphia’s performing arts community,” she said, citing the Philadelphia Orchestra’s bankruptcy. The Philadelphia Orchestra owes the Kimmel Center $1.4 million, according to the statement.
Because of the Kimmel Center’s current negotiations, the Philadelphia Orchestra looked to another venue for their opening night.
“The Opening Night Concert and Gala is an important night for our Orchestra and more importantly, for our patrons,” Philadelphia Orchestra Executive Vice President Ari Solotoff said in a statement. “It was imperative that we find a way to ensure that the music played on and that we toasted our musicians upon their return to the stage, despite the labor issue facing the Kimmel Center.”
The orchestra may face some obstacles due to the venue change, said Penn’s Symphony Orchestra Music Director Brad Smith, who holds rehearsals and performances in Irvine.
“While it is our intention and preference to play in The Kimmel Center [Oct. 14-16], we continue to evaluate alternative venues for upcoming Philadelphia Orchestra performances should those labor negotiations reach an impasse,” spokeswoman Kate Johnston wrote in an email.
An opening reception before the concert and dinner afterward will be held at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which expects about 500 guests, Chief Operating Officer Melissa Smith wrote in an email, adding that “students will line the streets between the two venues to direct the Orchestra guests back and forth.”
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