Settlement Music School Renames Germantown Branch For Philadelphia Arts Leader Peter A. Benoliel

On January 11, Philadelphia community music institution, Settlement Music School, honored a leader in Philadelphia arts and culture, Peter Benoliel, by renaming its Germantown Branch to the Peter A. Benoliel Germantown Branch.

“For more than six decades, Peter has been an essential part of the fabric of Settlement, helping to shape its legacy and ensuring its strength and sustainability for generations to come,” said Settlement CEO Helen Eaton. “It feels only fitting that we honor Peter's extraordinary contributions by naming this branch after him. It's a tribute to the indelible mark he has left on Settlement, on the wider Philadelphia cultural landscape, and on all of us.”

Dozens of Philadelphia music leaders and community members filled the hall of the Peter A. Benoliel Germantown Branch to celebrate Peter's impact on the School and to enjoy performances by musicians whom Peter has supported over the decades, including: Juliette Kang, Settlement faculty member and The Philadelphia Orchestra's First Associate Concertmaster; Philip Kates, Second Violin and Peter A. Benoliel Chair of The Philadelphia Orchestra; and Settlement's Robert Capanna Pre-Advanced Study Quartet, established by Peter A. Benoliel.

Most importantly, with 19 members of his family in attendance, Peter had an opportunity to express just how important it is that he could help foster a musical world for his 9 children and stepchildren and his 25 grandchildren.

“We'd better spend our time re-evaluating and understanding what music has meant to our life. In my case, it has been life-giving,” Peter remarked. “We can help bring that gift to our children and the coming generations as not only a challenge, but an opportunity.” 

Peter first joined the Settlement Music School Board in 1957 and has been involved ever since. He wrote the school's first strategic plan, conceptualized its Branch system, and soon became so well known in the board governance field that he was called upon to help the Curtis Institute build its own Board.

Peter's legacy as a cultural and corporate leader extends well beyond Settlement Music School. He has provided transformative leadership to organizations such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Grand Teton Music Festival, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Free Library of Philadelphia, as well as Quaker Chemical Corporation (now Quaker Houghton). His generosity has been transformative for many organizations, including three endowed chairs in the second violin section of the Philadelphia Orchestra. 

Peter's greatest love is his violin, and that's his impetus for everything he does. Turning 93 this month, he continues to play regularly as a member of Settlement's Adult Chamber Players and arranges chamber music get-togethers with friends. Peter's love of music has not only touched the lives of his friends and family but has encouraged the organizations that have built a strong culture of community music for all Philadelphians. Of Peter and his love of music, violinist Philip Kates shared that he and his fellow musician are inspired by Peter's lifelong commitment to music, which, “Reassures us, and those far and wide, that music and the arts are alive and well and will thrive for generations to come.” Settlement Music School is proud to celebrate Peter and display his impact though its Peter A. Benoliel Germantown Branch.

About Settlement Music School

Settlement Music School, a non-profit organization founded in 1908, is one of the largest community schools of the arts in the country serving children and adults of all ages at five branches in Pennsylvania located in South, West and Northeast Philadelphia, Germantown, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and its virtual branch, Settlement Music Online. The School offers 12,000 services in person and online every week in music, dance, visual arts, and arts therapy at its various branches and dozens of community partnerships across the region and is proud to offer nearly $3 million dollars each year in financial aid and scholarships to 60% of its students. Settlement's reach is broad, and it continues the principles of its founders, that there be no barriers to participating in music and arts education.

About the Peter A. Benoliel Germantown Branch

The Peter A. Benoliel Germantown Branch is Settlement's second oldest site, founded in 1958 by then Executive Director Sol Schoenbach, former principal bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra. With 16 teaching studios, two recital halls, performance spaces, Pre-K classrooms, and Playformance Park (a multi-use performance and playground venue), the Benoliel-Germantown Branch is host to 1600 lessons, classes, rehearsals, and learning experiences per week, including  our nationally recognized Kaleidoscope Preschool Arts Enrichment Program, the Gleeksman-Kohn Children's Choir, Rock Band, guitar ensembles, percussion ensembles, and the Benjamin and Carol Auger Contemporary Ensemble. Our long-time gallery partnership with Allens Lane Art Center features local art exhibits in the Branch's Samuel & Elaine Lieberman auditorium. As a pillar of the Germantown area for over 60 years, the Benoliel-Germantown Branch makes its spaces available for use by members of local community, arts, and civic organizations.

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