PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — What's in a name? Ask the Kimmel Cultural Campus, which has changed its name to Ensemble Arts Philly.
The Kimmel Cultural Campus may have been known as the centerpiece of performance on the Avenue of the Arts, but the name was difficult to distinguish from the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which is a single venue within the campus.
“What we were finding was that people were showing up with a ticket to the Academy of Music at the beautiful Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts,” said President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky.
The organization is hoping to clear that up by making Ensemble Arts Philly the presenting brand for shows at the Kimmel Center, Miller Theater, Academy of Music, and Forrest Theater. The newly named Ensemble Arts Philly will present just about every performance that would play before on the Kimmel Cultural Campus.
The musical “Ain’t Too Proud” currently running at the Academy of Music, “Girl From the North Country” coming to the Forrest Theatre, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra coming to Verizon Hall inside the Kimmel Center, are all Ensemble Arts Philly shows.
Ensemble Arts Philly will also present “Hamilton” in 2024 and “MJ the Musical” in 2025.
The Philadelphia Orchestra, which performs at the Kimmel Center, will maintain its own brand and website, but tickets will also be available on the Ensemble Arts Philly website.
“For the first time ever, you could buy a ticket for a Broadway show and a Philadelphia Orchestra performance in the same shopping cart,” Tarnopolsky said.
Tarnopolsky says the new name is all about bringing people together.
“Ensemble is a warm embrace. It's a unifying concept. Ensemble Arts Philly is about bringing the audiences, the communities, of Philadelphia together with the great artists and performances of our day in our beautiful venues.”