PENN LIVE ARTS

“An intimidatingly strong guitar player,” Rafiq Bhatia is “one of the most intriguing figures in music today." Making his Penn Live Arts debut alongside pianist ...

With an “exciting, seemingly improbable fusion of hip hop, ballet and modern dance,” ( Los Angeles Times ) RUBBERBAND performs its new work,  Reckless Underdog ...

“Arguably the most successful Black theatre group in the world,” ( American Theatre ) the Negro Ensemble Company performs a new production of Douglas Turner ...

Hailed as “the greatest blues singer of her generation” ( The Washington Post ) and “a powerhouse vocalist,” ( Rolling Stone ) Shemekia Copeland makes ...

Conceived by Monique Martin Journey through time and space to explore themes of freedom and survival in the early Black American experience. Named in tribute ...

Renowned early music artist Benjamin Bagby returns on the heels of his sold-out performance of  Beowulf  back in 2023. Joined by Sequentia, one of the ...

Making their Philadelphia debut, Mali Obomsawin is a bassist and singer/songwriter from Odanak First Nation. Infused with American roots, indie rock and jazz, Obomsawin’s internationally ...

Korea’s Seo Jungmin pushes the boundaries between traditional and contemporary music with her exceptional skills on the 25-string Gayageum. A member of the renowned Korean ...

A titan of American modern dance, the Limón Dance Company performs  The Traitor , one of the most significant works of the 1950s that explores ...

An indie superstar makes his Penn Live Arts debut! Widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of his generation, singer/songwriter and pianist Ben ...

Called “South Africa’s Mozart” by Nelson Mandela, Cape Town-born icon and 2019 NEA Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim brings his “spell-binding trio” to our stage on ...

Award-winning British vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six, acclaimed for its flawless intonation, “precision and fluency” ( The Guardian ), makes its Philadelphia debut in a ...

Tabla superstar Zakir Hussain is “a fearsome technician but also a whimsical inventor, devoted to exuberant play.” ( The New York Times ) The 2023 ...

Beloved a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock returns to our stage in celebration of its milestone 50th anniversary. Internationally renowned for a musical ...

A stunning show with a downright smashing title, Canada’s FLIP Fabrique returns with  SLAM! , an electric Philadelphia premiere that amplifies the theatrical and exuberant ...

Led by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, “hailed as two of the greatest virtuosos ever to emerge from [Alvin] Ailey” ( The New York Times ...

Making its Penn Live Arts debut, Cuba’s hottest contemporary troupe shares a little slice of Havana in a program featuring the world premiere of Osnel ...

Penn Live Arts opens its 2024-25 season with Pilobolus, showcasing their latest work, re:CREATION, on September 27 and 28. This dynamic collection features a blend ...

Rising star jazz saxophonist Erena Terakubo simply steals the show. She’s topped the charts in her native Japan, was awarded the prestigious presidential scholarship to ...

Doug “Varone’s ability to convey depths of emotion through highly charged, physically exciting choreography has made him a rarity among his generation.” ( The New ...

Expect the unexpected with the Flying Karamazov Brothers, a zany band of flame-throwing, juggling, kilt-and-tutu-wearing eccentrics making a long-awaited return to Philadelphia after over 20 ...

Explore the world of Salamone Rossi, a Jewish composer working in Italy at the same time as Claudio Monteverdi. Largely ignored until the 20th century, ...

“A fiery and creative drummer,” ( DownBeat ) Grammy® Award-winning jazz trailblazer Ulysses Owens Jr. returns to our stage following his incredible Philadelphia debut performance ...

Co-presented with World Cafe Live “A vocalist of unerring instinct,” the Grammy® award-winning Aoife O'Donovan makes her Penn Live Arts debut in a special concert ...

Our  23/24 season artist-in-residence , New York’s esteemed Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), performs the world premiere of commissioned one-act plays by Levy Lee Simon and ...

A celebratory evening of polyphonic singing and music from the Middle Ages. Hailing from the Netherlands, the all-male vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis specializes in interpreting ...

“America’s most astonishing choir,” ( The New York Times ) The Crossing, performs the world premiere of  SIN-EATER , a work of ritual music-theatre exploring ...

What lengths would you go to get home? In this Philadelphia premiere by The Acting Company, two-time OBIE Award-winning director Lisa Peterson brings new life ...

NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis, “the highest echelon of jazz tenor saxophonists,” ( Los Angeles Times ) returns to our stage for the first time ...