Marian Anderson Hall Rededication Announcement

[Applause] we will now be favored with a solo Miss Marian Anderson He's Got The Whole World in His Hands he's got the big round World in His Hands he's got the wide world in his hands He's Got The Whole World in His Hands when she was a little girl she was delivering laundry and she heard piano music music and she knew it was wrong but she went up the steps and looked into the window and there she saw an africanamerican woman playing piano it changed her life because she saw someone that looked

like her and so that she said if she can do it I can do [Music] it on June 8th Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts will be rededicated as Marian Anderson Hall in honor of the legendary contralto civil rights icon and Philadelphian we are actually very proud that Philadelphia is now recognizing uh one of our daughters and we're equally proud that it is in the medium in which she excelled which is the medium of music we have such an important musical history within this city

and finally for Maran Anderson to be able to be one of those people where you you're going I'm going to Maryann Anderson Hall to see the Philadelphia Orchestra like that is just so beyond words how meaningful it will be for me for all the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra and all our guests to set foot and perform in the Marian Anderson Hall my tenure with this Orchestra has gained again even more significance for me the inclusion of the peoples of the world who love this art form will be

represented here in Philadelphia in the concert hall called the Marian Anderson Hall in many ways I think that that alone is something that Maran would be so proud of she carried Philadelphia on her shoulder through the entire world and entire career she humbly said well I'm glad I was able to open the door she always used to tell me I don't want to make any fuss about this I always have a sense of great pride when I play as a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra the fact that we will be playing

on the stage of Mary and Anderson Hall only takes that Pride to another level she definitely blazed a trail for me and so every day um that I am on that stage I will be remembering that and hopefully inspiring others in the way that she inspired [Music] me we will never know how having the name of Marin Anderson on that concert hall will encourage Inspire and influence and I truly believe from the depths of my heart that years from now we will be able to say that we have become a better Communi

ty better group of artists and a better world because of people like Marin [Music] Anderson as part of the dedication of Marin Anderson Hall I'm thrilled that we're partnering with our friends at the United Negro College Fund to create scholarships for uh students in the Philadelphia area interested in pursuing careers in the Performing Arts uncf the United Negro College Fund Philadelphia entered into a partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts to create the first Marian Ande

rson endowed scholarship and we're so excited about that and that can make the real different in a student's life uh not only getting to school but getting through school it's always been one of my main goals as a human being as a musician as a conductor as an artistic director to welcome everyone in the concert hall and to make everyone feel welcome make everyone feel that music is for them it's for you I think that this was also Marian Anderson's goal Marian Anderson is emblematic of the power

of the Arts every time the great Philadelphia Orchestra performs on this stage behind me a 100 desperate voices come together as one that's what the Arts can do the Arts can be a unifying democratizing force for good in our world what I hope for people to take from any performance that they come to in Mar and Anderson Hall in terms of representation is that it matters I know we say it and it's very easy to kind of tune that out but for me speaks to the impact that she had and that she continues

to have her Legacy is not only her profound brilliant beautiful musical gifts but it's also this sense of what are you doing when you're not behind a microphone what are you doing when you're not creating does it line up are you still trying to make this place that we call the world a better place and so for me that's powerful of her life life activism and Legacy with music you can go only so far you must do what you can in your respective professions do what you can as far as your life's blood

will allow [Music] you if you please [Music]