Silent Night Sing-In & Swing-In

Ensemble Arts Philly and WRTI 90.1 are bringing the Silent Night Sing-In & Swing-In to Commonwealth Plaza at The Kimmel Center on Friday, December 11. It's a two-part evening that starts with a community sing of Silent Night and shifts into a big band swing party.

The first half is the sing-in, conducted by Philadelphia composer, performer, and educator John Conahan. Conahan's work has premiered at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and The Kennedy Center, conducted by names like Lorin Maazel, Marin Alsop, and Donald Nally, and was featured at the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors. After the singing, the night turns over to Josh Lee and the Extended Family Band for the swing party.

Commonwealth Plaza is the vaulted glass-ceiling space inside the Kimmel Center, the same spot that hosts the annual Tuba Christmas. This December also marks the Kimmel Center's 25th anniversary, and the venue has drawn more than 10 million people to the arts since it opened. The event is presented by Ensemble Arts Philly, which stages Broadway, comedy, theatre, jazz, and dance across the Kimmel Center, the Academy of Music, and the Miller Theater, and by WRTI 90.1, the member-supported classical and jazz public media station.

The whole thing runs from 5 PM to 7 PM on Friday, December 11, with doors opening at 4:45 PM. It's free, and the venue is Commonwealth Plaza in The Kimmel Center, 300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102.