Philadelphia-born singer Marian Anderson is being honored as she deserved with the rededication of Verizon Hall in her name in June 2024. The announcement was made in the hall's home in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on February 28, 2024, during a ceremony attended and featuring remarks by leading officials and performing artists, including Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, Mayor Cherelle Parker, and soprano Denyce Graves. The Kimmel Center is the home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director.
Below is further information from the Center's press release on the rededication and its implications for the City of Philadelphia, the sixth largest city by population in the United States. "Art and culture are part of what makes a city great," said Mayor Parker, the first African-American woman to serve in her leadership role. In an emotional speech, Nézet-Séguin praised the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra for their dedication to justice and inclusivity as well as to music. "No orchestra has a bigger heart," he said.
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Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music and Artistic Director, joins President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky (left) during the rededication announcement honoring the great contralto, Marian Anderson. That’s one of Marian Anderson’s gowns on the right. Copyright and photo by Margo Reed.
From the Press Release: Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsk y and Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin announced today that Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts will be rededicated as Marian Anderson Hall in honor of the legendary contralto, civil rights icon, and Philadelphian. Announced the day after what would have been Anderson’s 127th birthday, the news marks the first major concert venue in the world to honor the late performer and trailblazer.
Located in the heart of her hometown of Philadelphia, Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts will be a permanent monument to its namesake’s artistry and achievements, a reflection of the inclusive future she helped to engender, and an active testament to the intersection of music, art, and positive social impact.
The Hall—home of The Philadelphia Orchestra—will officially be rededicated on June 8, 2024, and celebrated during the Great Stages Gala and concert that evening, featuring Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra with actress and singer Audra McDonald, soprano Angel Blue, jazz pianist Marcus Roberts, and more to be announced at a later date.
