The Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival is returning to Saunders Park Greene this Saturday, July 20, from noon to 7 p.m. The outdoor event offers locals a chance to enjoy live music, local vendors, activities for kids and a selection of food trucks serving up fare. Organized by HopePHL (formerly People’s Emergency Center and Youth Service, Inc.) The Producer’s Guild of Philadelphia, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and a committee of community members, plus technical assistance from Nu Millennium Media Productions, the occasion holds free admission for all Philadelphians. “We are very e ..read more

There’s a seasonal way to explore music at the Penn Museum with Garden Jams—their annual outdoor summer concert series—and it all kicks off this week for summer 2024. In July, Wednesday evenings at the cultural institution will highlight live music, happy hour specials and food trucks in its historic Stoner Courtyard. After the festivities wrap up outside, visitors can also gain after-hours access to the Museum’s galleries and exhibitions, including ‘Ancient Food & Flavor’, until 8 p.m. PENN MUSEUM The kick-off celebration takes place this Wednesday, July 10 with a live ..read more

Whether in free jazz ensembles such as The Ghost or as solo artist, saxophonist Michael Foster likes to mix things up. Rather than execute straight-ahead jazz or work toward convention, Foster utilizes multiple, diverse augmentations when playing — such as balloons, found objects, drum heads, vibrators and more to subvert the intention of the music. The sax player and co-founder of Queer Trash — a “platform for LGBTQIA+ artists engaged in experimental performance practices” —  also busies himself with what he calls “queering” the instrument’s history and traditional roles so to pursue dif ..read more

Every sunny season, the Bristol Riverside Theatre’s William Penn Bank Summer Music Fest invites Philadelphians to indulge in interactive music events, and the summer of 2024 will be no different. Kicking off this week (June 26 to 30), the concert series of contemporary favorites and tribute artists will feature different headliners, with this first set being ‘Bachelors of Broadway: Gentlemen of the Theatre.’ The performance will feature a trio of performers belting out songs from modern and classic musicals like ‘Wicked’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Jersey Boys’, ’42nd Street’, ‘Miss Sai ..read more

The Barnes Foundation has announced the seventh annual Barnes on the Block in collaboration with Mural Arts Philadelphia. On Sunday, July 14, from noon to 5 p.m., Barnes on the Block will return to 20th Street (between the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Callowhill Street). The event will feature live music, food trucks, a beer garden, art-making activities, and free admission to the Barnes collection and exhibitions. Barnes on the Block is a free block party presented by PNC Arts Alive that encourages neighbors to connect with one another in the name of creativity. Provided “In its seventh ..read more

Whenever I see the Philadelphia Orchestra hooking up with legendary musical artists such as Sting or playing before a big movie screen for a live scoring session, the first thing that I want to know is “how did that happen?” or “Who bugged who first?” when it comes to connecting one of America’s most notable classical orchestras with indie bands, rappers and films. In advance of a summer’s season at the Mann Center when the Philly Orchestra plays live during June 20’s screening of Batman (Tim Burton’s kitsch 1989 version), along with alternate-roots ensemble Dispatch (June 22), indie-funk hero ..read more

The Theremin. Invented in 1922 by Russian physicist and radio engineer León Theremin, the Theremin was the first musical instrument controlled without physical contact. It was the original electronic musical instrument, a tool that opened the door to sounds unknown, ethereal and haunting. At the end of the 1990s, Mano Divina Giannone, a Philadelphia percussionist who spent time studying his craft with Sun Ra and Tito Puente, discovered, then harnessed, the power of the Theremin for his own end – sonic ideas richly spiritual and ripe with elements of opera, modern classicism and horror soundtra ..read more

On Saturday, June 8, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts officially rededicated Verizon Hall as Marian Anderson Hall, the first major concert venue in the world to honor the late contralto, civil rights icon, and Philadelphian. The dedication ceremony took place Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Plaza at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, followed by a Great Stages Concert in the evening featuring Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning legend Queen Latifah. Queen Latifah performs at a special dedication concert on Saturday, June 8.HUGHE DILLON The celebration was the fir ..read more

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Hozier, Keith Urban, Gwen Stefani, New Kids on the Block and Paramore are among the performers this fall at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, which will be broadcast live. The lineup for the two-day event, which will take place Sept. 20-21 at the T-Mobile Arena, also includes Shaboozey, The Black Crowes, Thomas Rhett and best new artist Grammy winner Victoria Monét. Ryan Seacrest will host, and fans can hear it all via iHeartMedia radio stations or watch it streaming on Hulu ..read more

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer Every June since the 1970s, across the United States, musicians, fans and industry professionals celebrate Black Music Month. It’s an opportunity to highlight the contributions of Black artists and position Black art at the center of American culture across popular music and beyond. Black Music Month‘s origins trace back to 1979. In that year, a decade after the Civil Rights era, President Jimmy Carter designated June a time to celebrate the cultural and historical significance of Black musicianship and held the first ever Black Music Month celebration on the W ..read more