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Tickets & Events
Celebrating 25 Years of the Kimmel Center

A Home for the World’s Best

The Kimmel Center was built to provide the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra with a world-class home while also providing stages for esteemed resident companies and visiting artists. Celebrated performers and cultural leaders inspire audiences at hundreds of performances each season. 

The Philadelphia Orchestra

In 2001, The Philadelphia Orchestra found a new home at the Kimmel Center, where Verizon Hall (now Marian Anderson Hall) became its dedicated performance space. Designed specifically with the Orchestra in mind, the hall marked a major milestone in the Orchestra's history, offering acoustics created to enhance its world-renowned sound and provide audiences with a richer, more refined listening experience. The move fulfilled a long-standing vision for a dedicated home that could fully support the Orchestra’s artistic depth, nuance, and extraordinary scale.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music and artistic director of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 2012, is among the world’s leading conductors. Under his leadership at the Kimmel Center, the Orchestra has expanded its international profile, embraced innovative programming, and attracted new audiences while maintaining its artistic excellence.

Billy Crystal

In March 2017, Billy Crystal brought "Spend the Night with Billy Crystal" to the Kimmel Center for a special two-night engagement. Blending his signature stand-up comedy style with personal stories, Crystal entertained Philadelphia audiences while drawing on his longtime connection to the city and its passionate sports culture, creating an evening that was both hilarious and intimate.

Curtis Institute of Music

Curtis Institute of Music has been a resident company of the Kimmel Center since 2015 and showcases some of the world’s most gifted young classical musicians in orchestral concerts and opera productions. Founded over a century ago and described by BBC Music Magazine as “the best of the best,” Curtis trains emerging artists through a rigorous, performance-based conservatory model. Each season, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and Curtis Opera Theatre present multiple performances in Marian Anderson Hall and Perelman Theater, offering audiences a glimpse of the next generation of orchestral and operatic talent.

Orrin Evans

Philadelphia-born pianist, composer, and bandleader Orrin Evans brought his Captain Black Big Band to the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center in November 2024. A longtime champion of Philadelphia's jazz tradition, Evans has helped shape the city's contemporary jazz scene through his performances, mentorship, and artistic leadership. Joined by his two-time GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble, he delivered a spirited celebration of Philadelphia jazz, blending swing, soul, gospel, and modern influences.

Renée Fleming

One of the most celebrated opera singers of her generation, Renée Fleming has appeared frequently at the Kimmel Center and remains a leading ambassador for classical music and the arts. Notable recent collaborations with The Philadelphia Orchestra include the March 2022 world premiere of the concert version of Kevin Puts’s opera The Hours and the May 2023 Great Stages Gala.

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin, known worldwide as the “Queen of Soul,” was one of the most influential vocalists in American music history. Her performance in 2014 at the Kimmel Center was a landmark cultural event that connected the institution to the city’s broader legacy of gospel, soul, and R&B.

Nikki Glaser

In November 2025, Nikki Glaser brought her acclaimed stand-up comedy to Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center. Fresh off a career-defining year that included hosting the Golden Globe Awards, a record-breaking HBO special, and widespread acclaim for her sharp humor, Glaser delivered the fearless, candid comedy that has made her one of the most influential and celebrated voices in stand-up today.

Martha Graham Cracker

We welcomed beloved drag performer Martha Graham Cracker to SEI Innovation Studio in the Kimmel Center in March 2017 for Lashed but Not Leashed, an original performance born from the Kimmel Center’s Theater Residency. Martha also hosted The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Pride Concerts in 2022 and 2025.

Sir Elton John

Sir Elton John is one of the best-selling and most influential recording artists in music history, with a career spanning more than five decades. His participation in the Kimmel Center’s opening celebrations in December 2001 linked the global superstar to the institution’s founding story and helped generate excitement during its inaugural season.

Patti LaBelle

In November 2016, Philadelphia’s own Patti LaBelle was honored at the Marian Anderson Award Gala and delivered a performance as part of the evening’s celebration at the Kimmel Center. The event recognized her as a defining voice of The Philadelphia Sound, celebrating her lasting impact on the city’s musical legacy and American popular music.

Lang Lang

Lang Lang, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, is one of the most recognizable classical musicians of the 21st century and has played a major role in broadening the global appeal of classical music. His performances at the Kimmel Center have connected Philadelphia audiences to an artist whose influence extends across continents and generations.

Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma is one of the most celebrated cellists of our time, renowned for his extraordinary artistry and ability to connect classical music with cultures and traditions around the world. Through seven appearances with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center between December 2001 and January 2026, he has brought international attention to Philadelphia and reinforced the institution’s reputation as a destination for world-class musical experiences.

Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis is a Pulitzer Prize–winning composer, trumpeter, educator, and one of the most important figures in modern jazz. His multiple appearances at the Kimmel Center, both with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra, have reflected Ensemble Arts Philly’s commitment to celebrating America’s diverse musical traditions.

Audra McDonald

Audra McDonald is the most decorated performer in Tony Award history and one of the defining voices of contemporary musical theater. She has appeared in multiple collaborations with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center, including a 2023 performance featuring selections from the American Songbook, further underscoring her versatility across Broadway, concert, operatic, and orchestral repertoire.

Opera Philadelphia

Opera Philadelphia has been a resident company of the Kimmel Center since 2001 and is a leader in contemporary American opera. While the Academy of Music serves as its home venue, the company also stages select productions in the Perelman Theater, including the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves in September 2016 and the Philadelphia premiere of Vivaldi's The Seasons in December 2025, reflecting its commitment to reimagining opera through innovative productions.

PHILADANCO!

PHILADANCO! has been a resident company of the Kimmel Center since the building’s opening and is one of the nation’s leading modern dance companies. Founded in 1970 by Joan Myers Brown, PHILADANCO! grew from a West Philadelphia community arts organization into an internationally acclaimed company known for its dynamic fusion of African American–based dance, ballet, jazz, and modern technique. The company tours around the world, premiering new works and performing a bold, versatile repertory while proudly calling the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater its home.

Philadelphia Ballet

A resident company of the Kimmel Center since its opening in 2001, Philadelphia Ballet primarily performs at the Academy of Music while also bringing dance to the Kimmel Center through special performances, including appearances during the annual Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Angel Corella, the company continues to captivate audiences with a dynamic blend of classical masterpieces and contemporary works.

Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (PCMS)

PCMS has been a resident company of the Kimmel Center since the building’s opening in 2001, presenting world-class chamber music in the Perelman Theater. Each season, PCMS presents approximately 55 concerts across the city featuring internationally acclaimed string quartets, pianists, vocalists, and soloists. Known for artistic excellence, innovative programming, and accessible ticket prices, its performances span five centuries of repertoire—from masterworks of the past to new music by living composers—inviting audiences to experience “a life more beautiful.”

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson

Renowned astrophysicist and science communicator Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson has appeared at the Kimmel Center multiple times in partnership with the Philadelphia Speakers Series. Widely recognized for bringing astronomy and space science to mainstream audiences through his research, books, and media work, Tyson shared insights from The Cosmic Perspective, exploring how our place in the universe shapes the way we understand life on Earth.

André Watts

André Watts was one of America’s most acclaimed concert pianists and a beloved figure within Philadelphia’s musical community. As a participant in the Kimmel Center’s opening celebrations and a frequent performer with The Philadelphia Orchestra throughout his career, he helped strengthen the institution’s ties to the city’s rich classical music heritage. Over the years, he returned to the Kimmel Center for nine performances, including The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2019 season–opening weekend under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. 

John Williams

Widely regarded as the most influential film composer of the modern era, John Williams has a longstanding relationship with The Philadelphia Orchestra and remains one of the most recognizable figures in contemporary music. His collaborations with the Orchestra have included select special appearances at the Kimmel Center, most notably in the 2020s as part of high-profile celebratory and gala programming.