Kimmel Center Jazz Residency: David Allen / Raquel Salas Rivera / Diane Monroe Public Workshop at Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Special BYOB Performance!

The public workshop is a special kind of concert where the jazz residency artist engage in a direct dialogue with the audience about their music. The artist shares background info, research, and musical inspirations for the new work they are writing for the residency as they discuss what “jazz” is today. They will play some of their own music and cover some music the audience is sure to know already. It's a special BYOB event and tickets are free with a reservation. Can you afford not to come??

David Allen, composer, guitarist, and educator, will “develop a series of jazz compositions that incorporate poetry and spoken-word to tell a story of Philadelphia as a multi-cultural safe-haven” and to “represent the diversity of Philadelphia in both music and language.” This new work is focused on multi-culturalism and the idea of what people think of as "home". It will explore Philadelphia as a safe-haven and sanctuary city for immigrants and migrants alike. Pulling inspiration from his firsthand experience, Allen is enlisting the help of 2018-19 poet laureate of Philadelphia Raquel Sala Rivera, violinist Diane Monroe, drummer Matt Scarano, and bassist Madison Rast to develop the project and tell the story....

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Special BYOB Performance!

The public workshop is a special kind of concert where the jazz residency artist engage in a direct dialogue with the audience about their music. The artist shares background info, research, and musical inspirations for the new work they are writing for the residency as they discuss what “jazz” is today. They will play some of their own music and cover some music the audience is sure to know already. It's a special BYOB event and tickets are free with a reservation. Can you afford not to come??

David Allen, composer, guitarist, and educator, will “develop a series of jazz compositions that incorporate poetry and spoken-word to tell a story of Philadelphia as a multi-cultural safe-haven” and to “represent the diversity of Philadelphia in both music and language.” This new work is focused on multi-culturalism and the idea of what people think of as "home". It will explore Philadelphia as a safe-haven and sanctuary city for immigrants and migrants alike. Pulling inspiration from his firsthand experience, Allen is enlisting the help of 2018-19 poet laureate of Philadelphia Raquel Sala Rivera, violinist Diane Monroe, drummer Matt Scarano, and bassist Madison Rast to develop the project and tell the story.

Allen has traveled and lived around the world: growing up in Philadelphia before moving to New York City, and then relocating to Istanbul, Turkey in 2013. In 2016 he moved his family back to Philadelphia, as they needed a safe environment after the deterioration of the situation in Turkey. “We were living in Turkey during a very turbulent time and witnessed a military coup first hand. After witnessing such chaos and hostility, we needed a safe haven where we could begin again and we chose Philadelphia."

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