Our Story

Our Mission

To share the transformative power of the performing arts and arts education with the widest possible audience.

Our Vision

To inspire and connect humanity with exceptional performances and experiences serving Philadelphia and the world.

Our Values

• AUTHENTIC: We communicate openly and honestly and act with acceptance, integrity, and respect.
  
• COLLABORATIVE: We are conveners, bringing people, institutions, and ideas together.
• EXCEPTIONAL: We are committed to quality and innovation. We engage our audiences and communities with exceptional experiences.
• INCLUSIVE: We seek and value diverse perspectives, modeling equity and access in all we do. We pursue diversity on and off our stages.

Our values are based upon our fundamental principles of IDEAS, Accountability, and Fiscal Responsibility.

History

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts building began to take shape in 1996 when two projects came together: The Philadelphia Orchestra's ongoing plan to build a new home for itself, and a plan of then-Mayor Edward G. Rendell to provide a much-needed venue for some of Philadelphia's most prominent performing arts companies and for touring presentations. With the generous consent of The Philadelphia Orchestra, which had acquired a property at Broad and Spruce Streets, the two plans were merged under the supervision and management of a new organization, the Regional Performing Arts Center (RPAC).

In 2024, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus introduced the Ensemble Arts Philly brand name to improve clarity to the audience experience, across our physical spaces and online. This new brand represents a wide variety of genres including Broadway, comedy, theater, jazz, dance, and family presentations across our three venues: the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music, and the Miller Theater. Also, Ensemble Arts Philly represents the multi-genre audience engagement and educational activity that happens outside of our venues.

More than our three iconic buildings, Ensemble Arts Philly brings our great city together and brings talented artists together with experiences as diverse as our region.

Our rich history spans over a century and a half, representing a generations-long commitment to presenting the transformative power of the arts to Philadelphians.