July 19
TD PAVILION

In celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, The Philadelphia Orchestra and West Philadelphia rapper Chill Moody will perform Darin Atwater's Black Metropolis: Improvisations on Paint Factory. This one-of-a-kind composition explores the pillars of hip-hop and Black culture through an architecture of sound. In addition to the great Philadelphia Orchestra, this evening will also feature rappers, DJs, dancers, choirs, and visual artists. Join us for this free concert debuting at the TD Pavilion at the Mann on July 19!

Darin Atwater's Black Metropolis: Improvisations on Paint Factory is a multi-layered piece exploring classical music, hip-hop, spoken word, dance, and visual art. At its core, it is a celebration of hip-hop as a unifying force through a lens of respect and hope. With each movement representing a color and a corresponding message, Black Metropolis is a symphonic masterpiece of sound, sight, and thought.

The original Paint Factory first premiered in 2007 with Atwater’s Soulful Symphony, a 75-member orchestra predominantly featuring people of color. While many of the themes will remain the same in this newly adapted iteration, Black Metropolis: Improvisations on Paint Factory is an entirely new work in partnership with the Mann’s Artist-in-Residence Chill Moody.

This project is supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

DARIN ATWATER’S BLACK METROPOLIS
A Ballad Opera

Darin Atwater, Composer & Piano
Jonathan Taylor Rush, Conductor
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Chill Moody, Rapper & Community Artist-in-Residence
Soulful Symphony Choir
Soulful Symphony Rhythm Section
Wendel Patrick, DJ

^{Artists and repertoire are subject to change.}

INTRO: Big BANG!... Birth of a Movement
DJ Responsorial

FIRST TABLEAU | Paint Factory
Orange Mocha... Live from Café Breezes
Pink Chocolate
Purple…A little Praise for the Pain
Brown

SECOND TABLEAU | Dangers, Toils and Snares
Civil Wars to Civil Rights
The Fight is On
Horns at the Funeral
To be Read in Silence...with Strings
Church is Out
Liberty Bells

INTERMISSION

THIRD TABLEAU | Black and Brown Uptown
Black Bodies Swinging in the Northern Breeze
Museum of Black Isness
Concrete Cowboys & Cowgirls
Woosah…Cristal and Caviar at the Salamander Spa
Last Night was a F**kin Movie
Lap | Top
Goat Portraits

FOURTH TABLEAU | Climate Change
I Still Got Time
Space Invaders
Don’t Fade Away
One Nation Under a Red-Blooded Groove

OUTRO: One LOVE
DJ Responsorial

This program runs approximately 90 minutes and includes an intermission. 

This project is supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

 The Steinway Piano is the official piano of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and is provided by Jacobs Music.

 No audio/video tape recording devices or photographs allowed.

 For more details on allowable equipment please click here.