One of Philadelphia's most famous landmarks is the Academy of Music, on the west side of Broad Street between Locust and Spruce, a few blocks south of City Hall. Embedded in the sidewalk in front of this beautiful nineteenth-century building—originally an opera hall but now home to the Philadelphia Orchestra—is the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame, a row of bronze plaques honoring the many great musicians who have contributed to the city's musical life.
Many of those commemorated here made their mark inside the Academy, conductor Leopold Stokowski and contralto Marian Anderson for instance, but equally many are giants from the realm of popular music and jazz—rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Bill Haley, singer Pearl Bailey, jazz greats John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie.
These plaques, which continue south beyond the Academy and stop in front of the Merriam Theater, say a lot about Philadelphia. On almost any given day, some of the finest performers and musical organizations in the world contribute all sorts of music to this city's extraordinarily rich and diverse musical life.
The jewel in the Philadelphia musical crown is, of course, the Philadelphia Orchestra. During the week of the spring meetings, the orchestra will be concluding its first subscription season under the leadership of new music director Wolfgang Sawallisch. From May 12 through 14 at the Academy, Maestro Sawallisch will be conducting a concert including Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and music by Leonard Bernstein. Tickets may be ordered in advance (call 215 893–1955), but here's a bit of inside advice. At the Academy, the sound is best in the cheapest seats, which go on sale the day of the concert—a good bargain for the nonacrophobic.
Three blocks west of the Academy, at 1726 Locust Street, stands the Curtis Institute of Music, a conservatory equaled in this country only by New York's Juilliard School. Curtis's academic season will have just ended in mid-May, but there may well be events there, such as alumni recitals, unannounced as we go to press. Call the box office (215 893–7902) for information. Curtis is a wonderful place to hear music, intimate and elegant, and is just a block east of Rittenhouse Square, one of the city's lovelier locations.
The Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia have been part of the city's concert life for over twenty years. A small group of some of the best young musicians in town, the orchestra serves as a showcase for some of Curtis's most brilliant students. On Monday, May 16, at the Walnut Street Theater at Ninth and Walnut, director Marc Mostovoy will conduct the Soloists in a concert of music by Telemann and Mendelssohn, featuring flutist Pamela Guidetti. For ticket information call 215 574–3550.
If you are interested in jazz, the place to go is the Delaware River waterfront. In warm months free concerts are often given at the outdoor stadium at Penn's Landing, near the foot of Walnut. It is hard to imagine a better way to experience Philadelphia's warmth and friendliness than to hear music on a spring evening in this beautifully designed public space, with its view of the river and the Philadelphia skyline. The River Blues Jazz Festival will be taking place there on the weekend of May 21.
A few blocks upriver, just north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, local jazz pianist Trudy Pitts and her drummer-singer husband, Mr. C., play on weekends at Meiji-en, a Japanese restaurant with a spectacular riverfront view. This couple has been at the heart of the Philadelphia jazz scene since the 1950s, when a young sax player named Coltrane played in their band.
There are two excellent jazz cabaret/restaurants in town: Zanzibar Blue, on Eleventh Street between Spruce and Pine, and the Blue Moon Jazz Club, in the Philadelphia Bourse building on Fourth Street just south of Chestnut. At both, a couple can enjoy an excellent meal and a full set of jazz for about fifty dollars.
For musical events not yet scheduled as we go to press, consult the Weekend section in Friday editions of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Entertainment section in the Sunday paper. Whatever you choose to hear, you'll long remember Philadelphia's music as part of your visit to this beautiful city.