Philadelphia Theatre Company opens its new home, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, with Being Alive, a new musical celebration of the songs of Stephen Sondheim on October 24 through December 2. Conceived and directed by Billy Porter working closely with Sondheim, the ensemble cast features Bryan Terrell Clark, Chuck Cooper, Vanita Harbour, Patina Miller, Jesse Nader, Leslie Odom, Jr., Nandi Walker and Rema Webb.

The Marian Anderson Award has announced the program planned to honor actor and activist Richard Gere on November 12, 2007, at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, when he receives the 2007 Marian Anderson Award.

One of the most prominent Italian painters of the late 19th century, Antonio Mancini (1852-1930) was at the forefront of Verismo, the Italian response to realism. A brilliant colorist and technician, Mancini is known for his daring and innovative painting methods characterized by unusually thick impasto and the inclusion of glass, metal foil and other materials onto the surfaces of his paintings.

The Philadelphia Orchestra announces details of the 2008 Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition. Talented young student musicians of the Greater Philadelphia area are invited to participate in the Competition, with each winner receiving a cash award and the opportunity to perform as soloists with The Philadelphia Orchestra during the 2008-09 season.

On the evenings of October 26th and 27th, Mr. Cassiere will part the Veil of Death as he guides you through an encounter with the Other Side. Limited to no more than 8 persons per session, this is sure to be an experience you will never forget. Come and speak to the dead, explore the ethereal plane, and learn what lies Beyond…if you dare!

Visitors to the Philadelphia Museum of Art will hear performances by students from The Curtis Institute of Music one Saturday each month, November through May, as part of Music in the Galleries program. Small chamber ensembles and soloists from Curtis give informal concerts in a designated gallery each month.

Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun, the University of Pennsylvania Museum's popular new exhibition about the city of Amarna, Tutankhamun's childhood home, will remain open as a long-term exhibition, adding to the Museum's suite of ancient Egyptian galleries that offer the public a year-round opportunity to explore more than 5,000 years of ancient Egyptian culture, art, and history.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the only U.S. venue for the first exhibition to explore the inventiveness and importance of the landscape painting of Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). Renoir was the single most celebrated figure painter among the French Impressionists but his landscapes—remarkable in their freshness and immediacy—demonstrate the deep sources of his inspiration in nature and his total immersion in plein-air effects of daylight.

Arden Theatre Company presents Michael Hollinger's An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, a tragic comedy in seven courses, as the second mainstage production of the Arden's 20th Anniversary Season, proudly sponsored by PNC Bank.

The Philadelphia Orchestra celebrates the 151st anniversary of the Academy of Music with the annual Anniversary Concert and Ball, on Saturday, January 26, 2008. The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, performs. Billy Joel makes a special guest appearance, in his first appearance with a major American orchestra.

On Tuesday, October 2, 2007, The Philadelphia Orchestra opens its 2007-08 Access Concert Series with "Riot at the Ballet," an exploration of this explosive score.

Last year, 1,100 guests from 107 countries, including Turkey, Anguilla, Myanmar, Maldives, Iran, Azerbaijan, Benin, Rwanda, China, Albania, India, Colombia, and Australia, met and mingled at the annual International Students Reception at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.