Astral & WRTI Co-Present Their First Annual Block Party In Midtown Village
Astral | Thursday September 6, 2018PHILADELPHIA, PA—On Saturday, September 15, 2018, 3:00-5:00pm (Rain date: Sunday, September 16, 3:00-5:00pm), Astral and WRTI team up for a free block party in Midtown Village in the 1213 Walnut Street corridor to celebrate classical music in Philly in a fun and family-friendly outdoor event. Emceed by WRTI host Debra Lew Harder, visitors will enjoy picnic fare and performances by three dynamic Astral artists, featuring the Philadelphia premiere of Vivian Fung’s Humanoid for cello and electronics. Christine Lamprea, cello; Xavier Foley, double bass; Annie Wu, flute.
A family- and pet-friendly event, guests can also enjoy face painting, Astral and WRTI giveaways, drinks and perfect bites from Northern Liberties new brewpub Urban Village Brewing Co., along with delectably layered Mason jar creations from Baker’s Jar.
Bill Johnson, WRTI’s General Manager, states, “The Block Party allows WRTI and Astral to come together around our shared values of discovering new artists, new music, and community. This fun event will remind us all that music is for everyone, and there are no barriers to discovering and sharing it in our everyday lives.”
ABOUT ASTRAL
Based in Philadelphia, Astral is a national organization that specializes in developing the early careers of extraordinary classical musicians. Astral concentrates its resources on a small number of rising-star soloists and chamber ensembles with the potential to be change-makers and influencers in classical music. Astral provides artists with industry-leading resources, networking, immersive community engagement experiences, and entrepreneurial tools.
With 28 musicians in its program, Astral presents high quality public programming in Philadelphia that benefits concertgoers, school children, and adults in care facilities. Astral’s critically acclaimed chamber music series, Astral In Concert, brings its world-class musicians to Philadelphia for stunning performances of traditional repertoire and exploratory concert experiences.
Notable Astral laureates include Grammy Award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux, Metropolitan Opera soprano Angela Meade and bass-baritone Eric Owens, pianist and Sony recording artist Simone Dinnerstein, string trio Time for Three, harpist Bridget Kibbey, violinists Benjamin Beilman and Kristin Lee, and the Jasper String Quartet, among many others.
ABOUT WRTI
The mission of WRTI public radio is to broadcast the very best classical music and jazz recordings, and produce innovative, entertaining, and informative content that enriches the daily lives of its audience and the cultural life of Philadelphia and the tri-state region. Over 339,000 listeners tune to WRTI each week on the radio, and an ever-growing number of people listen online via WRTI’s two 24-hour web streams, on Internet radio, or on the WRTI Mobile App.
For more information, call 215.735.6999 – more details here.
Note to Editors:
Photographs are available upon request; please contact nicholas@astralartists.org.
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