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HearTOGETHER, Nosferatu, Día de los Muertos, and new exhibits at ArtYard
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 26-November 1, 2023
Kyle V. Hiller
This week sees the return of the HearTOGETHER podcast from the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus, which highlights voices from perspectives and communities not often represented in the orchestral music world. Catch some spoken word at FRIEDA, too—and if you want something on the wordless side, check out FringeArts’s evening with the silent film Nosferatu. Also, Theatre Exile previews Camp Siegfried, be sure to make space for Día de los Muertos processions, and head over to ArtYard for three new dreamy exhibitions.
Stay classy, Philly!
HearTOGETHER podcast returns
Now through 2024
Streaming online
The monthly podcast from the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus returns for its 2023-24 season. The pod lays out dialogue and music with industry leaders and guest artists to explore racial and social justice, creative equity, inclusion, and more through the lens of the world of orchestral music. Singer, educator, writer, and voiceover artist Khadija Mbowe hosts this season, and the first episode is already live: music historian, pianist, and composer Dr. Guthrie Ramsey and Judith Anne Still, daughter of the late composer William Grant Still, discuss how Judith's father’s life and music and experiences as a Black man informed his compositions, which were largely unrecognized until recently.
Nosferatu with Not So Silent Cinema
Friday, October 27, 8pm
FringeArts, 140 North Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia
Count Orlok is the world’s first vampire on film, and you can see the 1922 silent film Nosferatu this weekend. But it won’t be so silent after all, as Not So Silent Cinema will perform the original score. They’ve been performing alongside the film for 14 years now, this time with a quartet featuring Brendan Cooney at piano, Larry Goldfinger at clarinet, Carlos Santiago at violin, and Chris Coyle at double bass.
Camp Siegfried
October 26 through November 12, 2023
Theatre Exile, 1340 South 13th Street, Philadelphia
Camp Siegfried is the latest from Theatre Exile. Written by Bess Wohl and directed by Deborah Block, Camp Siegfried takes place at a summer camp in 1938 Long Island, where two teenagers meet, fall in love, and are seduced by fascism and Nazi ideology and the hate it fosters. The coming-of-age performance is inspired by the real Camp Siegfried. Previews run through this weekend to Wednesday, with opening night on Friday, November 3.
Spoken word at FRIEDA
Saturday, October 28, 4pm
FRIEDA, 320 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
Swing by the community café this weekend for a special spoken word event celebrating Anybody Home?, the poetry book debut from Kay Cosgrove. Cosgrove, a Pennsylvania-based poet, will be joined by three other readers, including Christian Bancroft, author of Queering Modernist Translation: The Poetics of Race, Gender, and Queerness, Lauren Hilger, No Tokens poetry editor, and Adrienne Perry, a Kimbilio Fellow and literature and creative writing professor at Villanova. The event is free and open to the public, but it’s recommended that you register ahead of time.
Día de los Muertos: Walking Among the Ancestors
Saturday, October 28, 11am-4pm
Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington
The fourth annual Día de los Muertos: Walking Among the Ancestors event happens this weekend, and it comes with a variety of activities, including an Indigenous ceremony, a labyrinth walk, and more. Folks can also contribute to ofrendas by bringing pictures of loved ones and food to leave at the altars.
Día de los Muertos Celebration & Procession
Saturday, October 28, 2-8pm
Starts at Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine Street, Philadelphia
Join Fleisher Art for their annual Día de los Muertos procession and celebration. The day starts with a children’s fair, followed by a procession that starts at 4pm at Fleisher before making its way to South Philly. The evening brings dancing, music, food, and a community ofrenda. Fleisher will also host a vigil for the final night of the celebration on Wednesday, November 1, from 6-8pm in tandem with Dolce Suono Ensemble.
ArtYard exhibits
Opening Saturday, October 28, 6-8pm
ArtYard, 13 Front Street, Frenchtown
ArtYard opens two new solo exhibitions this weekend. Kendall Buster: What Blooms and Lucia Monge: While a Leaf Breathes (Mientras una Hoja Respira) promise to “submerge visitors in the artists’ distinctive dreamlike visions of a future where balance with nature is restored.” ArtYard also touts the opening of You Come to Life, a collaborative exhibition with Studio Route 29, and falls in line with the dreamy aesthetic of the solo exhibits. What Blooms comprises two new sculptural installations and an ongoing drawing project that explores the merging of organic forms with speculative built spaces. While a Leaf Breathes is an exhibition about plant respiration, life cycles, and the ways humans position themselves within the natural world and relate to other living beings. The opening reception is on Saturday at 6pm, and artist talks happen on Sunday.
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