Friends of Schuylkill Banks (FOSB) had ideal weather for hosting a barbecue on Saturday, May 12th. The 2nd Annual BBQ on the Banks was hosted along the banks below Walnut Street, and “with the river on one side and the city skyline on the other, there really is no better place to take in all the Banks has to offer.”

FOSB Board Members enjoy the afternoon along the banks.

BBQ food was provided by Percy Street BBQ. Live music from the Bill Handy Orchestra, lawn games and other activities added to the FOSB experience. Proceeds from the event went to improve general maintenance and operations at the Schuylkill Banks, one of Philadelphia’s greenest treasures.

Guests included a host of young and active Philadelphians, many of whom enjoyed the relaxed and sunny ‘dressed-down’ atmosphere before heading to the Young Friends night at the Pennsylvania Ballet’s performance of Peter Pan, followed by a reception at the Orpheus Club on Van Pelt Street.

FOSB generates volunteer and financial support for the Schuylkill River Development Corporation, and was founded in 2010.  For more information, visit friendsofsb.org.

Pennsylvania Ballet Premiere of N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz

with Barber Violin Concerto and Beside them, they dwell, a World Premiere

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Philadelphia, PA (May 16, 2012) – Pennsylvania Ballet presents the grand finale of the 2011-2012 Season, the Company premiere of Jerome Robbins’s N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz, with Peter Martins’s Barber Violin Concerto and the World Premiere of Matthew Neenan’s Beside them, they dwell, May 31-June 3, 2012 at the Merriam Theater. Fred Alger Management is the Presenting Sponsor.

“What better way to close our season than with a triple bill that showcases the Company’s diverse strengths,” Artistic Director Roy Kaiser says.

Feel the flavor of the city that never sleeps with Jerome Robbins’s N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz. Robbins’s “ballet in sneakers” celebrates the youth and vitality of the era in which it emerged: the distinctly cool 1950’s. N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz adopts the spirit of Robbins’s renowned musical, West Side Story, with Broadway-style theatricality saturating this series of dances to the music of Robert Prince.

Also on the bill, Peter Martins’s Barber Violin Concerto features two couples, bathed in white, performing a brilliant series of pas de deux. The piece embodies the lyrical movement of Samuel Barber’s inventive score that bridges from an opening adagio to its final scherzo, exploring the dichotomy between classical ballet and modern dance in three movements.

To complete the program, Choreographer in Residence Matthew Neenan mounts his much-anticipated World Premiere, Beside them, they dwell. Neenan’s 13^th commission for the Company, and first since 2009, is set to music by French composer Pierre Boulez, with costumes designed by Christine Darch.

Tickets to N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz are on sale now, with prices starting at $20. Tickets are available online at paballet.org, by phone at 215.893.1999, and in person at the Kimmel Center Box Office.

N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz performances at the Merriam Theater:

• Thursday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, June 2 at 2 p.m.
• Saturday, June 2 at 8 p.m.
• Sunday, June 3 at 2 p.m.

Groups of 10 or more receive great perks! Ask about backstage tours, special talks with staff and dancers, and dining options near the theater for your group. For tickets and more information, contact Group Sales Manager Arajua Backman at 215.587.6921 or abackman@paballet.org.

Connect with us! Follow Pennsylvania Ballet on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to go behind-the-scenes anytime, day or night.

Fred Alger Management is the Presenting Sponsor of N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz.

Major support for the World Premiere of Beside them, they dwell was provided by the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, as recommended by Linda and David Glickstein. This gift will help Pennsylvania Ballet meet its Challenge for New Work, established by an anonymous donor to raise a total of $600,000 for repertoire enrichment and expansion.

Pennsylvania Ballet’s 2011-2012 Season sponsors include DoubleTree by Hilton, The Sporting Club at the Bellevue, and US Airways.

ON FRIDAY, MAY 18, ADMISSION TO THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART

WILL BE FREE TO THE PUBLIC

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will be free to the public on Friday, May 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. in celebration of the International Council of Museums’ (ICOM) International Museum Day on Friday, May 18, 2012. All galleries will be open in both the main Museum building and the Perelman Building, showcasing more than 2,000 years of exceptional human creativity in masterpieces of painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts and architecture. Free admission includes special exhibitions, public tours, and Art After 5 with Cuban-born jazz drummer Francisco Mela. This year’s theme of International Museum Day, which is dedicated to promoting the value of museums in society, will focus on the evolving role of museum is a changing world.

SATIN EVENING GOWN, 1960’s.	ERTE STYLE COCOON with FOX COLLAR, 1980’s.	HALSTON CHIFFON GOWN, 1970’s.

LEONARD, “PASTIS” JUMPSUIT, c. 1970.	BOB BUGNAND, GOWN & STOLE, 1960’s.	GEOFFREY BEENE, DAY DRESS, 1980’s.

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Pictured on this page are couture items dated post-1950 available in the Whitaker auction, which runs today, Friday, April 27th, and tomorrow, Saturday the 28th, at the New Hope Eagle Fire Company’s headquarters in Bucks County.  Whitaker’s auctions attract people from around the country, and he has represented and sold to various prestigious people and institutions.

After an early start in the antiques business on the Main Line, Mr. Whitaker opened a store in Philadelphia.  He began his auction company in 1991, and has represented the estates of Diana Dorrance, Elizabeth Wistar Morris, and P.A.B. Widener III, among others.

YSL RIVE GAUCHE SILK DAY DRESS, 1970’s.	ZANDRA RHODES, GOWN, c. 1980.	PUCCI PRINTED MINI DRESS, c. 1970.	DIOR COUTURE GALA DRESS, SPRING, 1958.

PUCCI KALEIDOSCOPIC RESORT CAPE, c. 1965.	CHANEL “LITTLE BLACK DRESS”, 1960’s.	PUCCI JERSEY SHIRT DRESS, c. 1970.	DIOR SHIRTWAIST DRESS, c. 1950.

For more information or to bid online, visit Whitaker Auction Company Online.

“Arantxa is, undoubtedly, one of the most celebrated ballerinas in Pennsylvania Ballet history,” Artistic Director Roy Kaiser says. “We are so lucky that she will continue to share her gifts as a ballet instructor with our new school community.”

Ms. Ochoa’s final performance in Giselle is scheduled for Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 8 p.m. at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Casting is subject to change. Subscriptions are on sale now at 215.893.1955 or paballet.org. Single tickets will go on sale on September 4, 2012.

Born in Valladolid, Spain, Ms. Ochoa took her first artistic steps as a rhythmic gymnast. At age 12, she moved to Madrid to study at the Centro de Danza, then continued her studies at the Academie de Danse Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo and The School of American Ballet in New York City.

Ms. Ochoa spent three years at Hartford Ballet before joining Pennsylvania Ballet in 1996 as a member of the Corps de Ballet. She was promoted to Soloist in 1999 and to Principal in 2001. Her starring roles in classical works include Odette/Odile in the world premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Swanilda in Coppélia, Lise in La Fille mal gardée, Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew, and the title roles in James Kudelka’s The Firebird and Marius Petipa’s Giselle. Her extensive repertoire of George Balanchine ballets includes principal roles in Apollo, Agon, Bugaku, Ballo della Regina, Concerto Barocco, Divertimento 15, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Monumentum pro Gesualdo, Movements for Piano and Orchestra, Prodigal Son, Raymonda Variations, Serenade, Theme and Variations, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Western Symphony, and Who Cares?.

Ms. Ochoa also has danced leading roles in Jerome Robbins’s The Concert and In the Night, Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room and Nine Sinatra Songs, Peter Martins’s Fearful Symmetries and Waltz Project, and William Forsythe’s In the middle, somewhat elevated, and has originated roles in works by Matthew Neenan, Kirk Peterson, Jorma Elo, and Benjamin Millepied, among others.

Ms. Ochoa has performed in many galas and festivals throughout Europe, including the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, The Stars of the New York Ballet in London, the Sintra Festival in Portugal, the Northwest Phalen Tanz in Germany, and with the Chicago Ballet. In addition to her performing career, Ms. Ochoa has been a teacher, leading master classes in Boston, Philadelphia, and Connecticut. She is married to former Pennsylvania Ballet Principal Dancer Alexander Iziliaev, and they have a son.

Shaundra Oliver and Yolanda Banks	Marcela Herrera and Heather Baumgardner	Serena Sutton and Adrienne Stinson

Kate Miller, Traci Noon, and Kristin Munro	Monique Johnson	Lina Kaplan and Milana Bratsis

More than 20 vendors were featured in the exclusive VIP area in the pre-function space at The Pennsylvania Convention Center, showcasing their latest offerings, products, brands and services for guests to sample and enjoy.  An after party continued the fun and fanfare at Table 31, the chic little restaurant at the Comcast Center on John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

Photos by Andre Flewellen

Nicole Giranda and Nikki Keyser	Brittany Corbett with Caitlin Hetrick	Colleen Mook and Kelley Osborne Faust

Malibu Rum (Pernod Ricard) SugarHouse Casino 611 Lifestyle Ayla Brown, Recording Artist Baby Be Hip Bernie Robbins Jewelers Chima Brazilian Steakhouse Cool Pix Photo Booth Cupcakes Gourmet	Eddie Tully Lighting & Sound Falls Flowers Giovanni & Pileggi Hawaiian CVB Hotel Palomar Inspired Ladies Kaleidoscope Boutique Menagerie Mural Arts Program	Pileggi Boutique Rittenhouse Women’s Wellness Center Secrets Limo Sephora Shutterbooth The Sporting Club at The Bellevue Table 31 Willow Home Furnishings

]]> http://www.properphiladelphia.com/girls-night-out-at-the-philadelphia-flower-show/feed/ http://www.properphiladelphia.com/this-week-in-philadelphia-2/ http://www.properphiladelphia.com/this-week-in-philadelphia-2/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:46:03 +0000 rcatlee http://www.properphiladelphia.com/?p=2783 A hot Ellsworth Kelly totem, a ’20s Crescendo, a point-du-Pont, this week in Philadelphia.

This week in Philadelphia brings more summer-like weather, more skirts on pretty girls, and more pressure on people like me who have yet to finalize Summer plans (or even to finish Winter projects).  The flaccidity of the not-so-cold season is long gone, and everything is springing up and out, like the fast-paced, hard-bodied joggers and the Ellsworth Kelly Totem rising at the Barnes last week.

Friday is a Crescendo Club event held at Curtis Institute’s historic landmark building on Rittenhouse Square.  A student recital will recreate a historic performance - the Institute’s first -  from November 10, 1927.

Two lovely Crescendo Club event co-chairs, Marija Ugrinich and Susie Pierce, have devised a fabulous after-party event for special guests at the Plays & Players Theater’s private upstairs bar.  A pre-crash ‘Twennies’ flair is optional - so expect Proper Philadelphia’s R.C. Atlee to be in full anachronistic gear, a la fellow Shipley alumnus Gibson Frazier in his 1999 film Man of the Century. Hopefully, this event will produce better results than Atlee’s previous attempt at flapperdom at the Canuso Foundation’s Babe’s Bash Roaring Twenties in 2011.

Below is the performance program… like Brahms? Check out more information here.

BRAHMS Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78 Eunice Kim, violin Andrew Hsu, piano Gabriel Cabezas, cello

BRAHMS Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101 Luosha Fang, violin Gabriel Cabezas, cello Michelle Cann, piano

Sunday is an exciting day for the horse and hound set, with the inaugural running of the Fair Hill Point-to-Point over state-owned acreage in Elkton, Maryland.  The grounds, which feature an international equestrian site, were formerly known to many as Foxcatcher Farm, owned by William du Pont, Jr. When the State of Maryland purchased 5,000+ acres of the 8,000 acres in 1974, pre-eminent American equestrian and Campbell’s Soup heir George Strawbridge, Jr. purchased the remaining acreage, including much on the Pennsylvania side.

George Strawbridge, Jr.	Foxcatcher, William du Pont’s winning horse	George Strawbridge’s Foxcatcher, by Archer & Buchanan

Fair Hill and Strawbridge’s Foxcatcher Farm are not to be confused with the other Foxcatcher Farm of murderous infamy.  That one, along Route 252 in Newtown Square, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was owned by the eccentric John Eleuthere du Pont. That farm, and the adjacent property, have been - in a rare but not sole incident of poor stewardship by the extended family - dissolved and developed.  The Rouse Group Development Company of Haverford Township - headed by John Rouse, husband of the unmistakably blonde Choppy Rouse - is building the Ashford complex on the former du Pont and Biddle Farm properties, while other land was appropriated for the new campus of Episcopal Academy.

The ‘eccentric’ John inherited the great and elegant property in Newtown Township, then called Liseter Hall Farm, when his mother, Jean Liseter Austin du Pont died in 1988.  The last thing he ‘commanded’ of the staff before he left the property was to spray-paint a number of outbuildings a flat and haunting black.

]]> http://www.properphiladelphia.com/this-week-in-philadelphia-2/feed/ http://www.properphiladelphia.com/500-huston-road-radnor/ http://www.properphiladelphia.com/500-huston-road-radnor/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:33:46 +0000 rcatlee http://www.properphiladelphia.com/?p=2763 $6,999,000 Bissinger-designed Radnor Manse.

This dream home - there is no better description - pairs the bold and immense grandeur that is quintessentially ‘Main Line’ with restraint and poise that ‘keep it Quaker.’ Some dream houses are too good to be true, others are somebody else’s dream altogether, yet this one shows enough (or lacks enough) brass to keep it just shy of ‘too much.’ Nested in an ultra-private little enclave near Biddulph and Montgomery Lanes, you wont see anyone you don’t want to. Hide here from Hollywood, New York, London, even from Bryn Mawr. Heck, hide here from the IRS - you deserve it if you can afford to.  You’ll never have a care, nor a need to leave your poolside oasis.  Yet you are minutes away from major routes and the villages of Wayne and Bryn Mawr.  Ever dream of rehabbing an old Trumbauer house?  Save time and get the comforts of today up front - this ‘historic’ house was built in 2002.

From Prudential Fox & Roach Bryn Mawr: Magnificent, masterfully crafted, 6 bedroom Colonial perfectly situated on 2.7 lush, park-like acres at the end of a most private cul-de-sac in highly sought after Wayne neighborhood. This spectacular property, designed by renowned Fred Bissinger and built by acclaimed Mahoney Builders, features remarkable architectural details throughout, including limestone balistrades, Pennsylvania granite, dramatic high ceilings, finished basement, slate roof, a stately dining room that seats 36, gourmet Chef’s kitchen with sun-filled breakfast room, and a fully outfitted pool house with heated pool/spa and bluestone brick terraces for the ultimate in outdoor entertaining. This light-filled property was purposefully situated to maximize sun exposure and offer an abundance of sumptuous views of the pool area, gardens, rear yards, and outdoor terraces. The upstairs offers a spacious master suite with sitting room and fireplace, four additional family bedrooms each with private bath, and a guest suite with kitchen.

For More Information Contact Lavinia Smerconish of Prudential Fox & Roach and Reference Proper Philadelphia