Great Stages Gala to benefit Academy of Music Preservation

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It's a celebration of Philadelphia's thriving arts scene, and a fundraiser to preserve the jewels in our theatrical crown.

The 2025 Great Stages Gala is this Friday, a grand event to benefit the historic and treasured Academy of Music, the oldest continuously operating Opera House in the United States.

"The Academy of Music was opened in 1857," explains Ryan Fleur, the newly appointed President and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Philly. "It's been around for 168 years. We hosted the Republican National Convention in 1872, Susan B. Anthony came and spoke at the Academy of Music."

"Of course, it was the home of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1900, our founding up, until 2000 when this amazing Kimmel Center opened. The Academy of Music is Philadelphia's cultural history embodied in one space," Fleur added.

Fleur says this year's gala will honor former Governor Ed Rendell, who was instrumental in creating the Kimmel Center and Avenue of the Arts.

It will also celebrate PHILADANCO! founder Joan Myers Brown, who set the standard for excellence in dance, paving the way for generations of Black artists.

"The event will start at the Academy of Music and will make its way over to the Kimmel Center," he says. "It's a traveling party. We are going to have special performances from musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra, to a performance by PHILADANCO!, the Philadelphia Ballet and Opera Philadelphia will perform. We're really showcasing the best of what happens in these buildings."

The 2025 Great Stages Gala is on Friday, May 30.

Visit this page at EnsembleArtsPhilly.org for details.