A recent finalist at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, vocalist Veronica Swift makes her Annenberg Center debut backed by Philadelphia-based pianist Tim Brey. This rising jazz star is already known for vocals that are "soulfully infused with an infectious passion for jazz past and future.” (All About Jazz) With expansive musical influences, a commanding stage presence and a renowned jazz lineage, Swift is carving out her own identity in the world of jazz and beyond. This event will include a live, interactive Q&A with the performers.
Directed by Boaz Yakin, Aviva is a uniquely sexy, impressionistic take on a movie romance, set in a New York world of gender fluidity and frequently unclothed bodies. Featuring choreography by former Batsheva Dance Company member and co-star Bobbi Jene Smith (who is also a master lecturer at the University of the Arts), director Boaz Yakin’s (Fresh, Remember the Titans, A Price Above Rubies) dreamy film tells a story that is timeless and universal yet up-to-the-moment. The character of Aviva, played by Zina Zinchenko (and at times by Or Schraiber), is a young Parisian who develops an online romance with Eden, played by Tyler Phillips (and at times Smith), a New Yorker. After a long courtship, they meet in person and fall in love, settling into an intimate relationship that leads to marriage, but one laced with conflicts. Incorporating exuberant dance sequences and featuring a pair of principals expressing both masculine and feminine sides, Aviva captures a restless and changing today where who we are as women and men and how we navigate the world are up for grabs. This film is recommended for viewers over 18 due to sexual content.
Solitude has long been considered essential for creativity and art, but what happens when that solitude is imposed rather than chosen? Mezzo-soprano and Penn Department of Music Artist-in-Residence Meg Bragle, and lutenist Richard Stone, co-director of Philadelphia’s Tempesta di Mare, come together for an intimate meditation on solitude featuring music by Purcell, Dowland, Encina, Le Camus, Krieger, Campion, Boyer, Holborne, and Charpentier. This event will include a live, interactive Q&A with the performers.
