The choir of St. Francis de Sales Church will have a special, Holy Week presentation this Tuesday (March 27), and all are welcome to join the church parishioners for this free concert. The choir will perform TENEBRAE: Songs in the Shadow of the Cross. “Tenebrae” is Latin for “shadows” or “darkness” and is often used as a “choral preparation” or meditation on the themes of the Passion.

During the presentation, psalms and hymns of lament are read and sung, and all lights and candles in the church are extinguished – except one representing Christ.  Continue Reading

Do you want to support early childhood education and have a great night out? Would you bid on a Cape May vacation or some original artwork? How about a birthday party package to University Family Fun Center or a new bike? These are some of over 100 items featured at the 14th annual Saint Mary’s Nursery School (SMNS) annual fundraiser:

Spring For Our School Silent Auction & Party

Saturday, April 21 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Harnwell College House Rooftop Lounge
3820 Locust Walk
Tickets: $45 (adults only) at www.stmarysnursery.org/sfos

Who is Saint Mary’s Nursery School? SMNS is a diverse, non-denominational school with a 54-year history in West Philadelphia, home to 150 children between 18 mo – 10 yrs and involve many active family members in our co-op program.  Continue Reading

Shakespeare in Clark Park has announced its 2018 production, and it will be filled with music! For five nights in July, the popular local outdoor theatre production company will present a Glam Rock inspired Twelfth Night featuring Philly’s finest actors alongside student musicians. The production is directed by Jack Tamburri and is set to run July 25-29.

The glam rock exploration of Shakespeare’s classic romance will feature music and performances by local cabaret favorite, Jess Conda. In addition, the company, which has been incorporating the community into its productions for the past four years, is inviting young musicians from all over the city to form an epic rock band in their very musical Illyria.  Continue Reading

A new reading series is launching this Thursday (March 15) at the Dock Street Cannery + Lounge (705 S. 50th St), and this is a great chance to meet some talented Philadelphia-based writers.

The event is hosted by West Philly authors Matt Jakubowski and Christine Kendall and showcases writers Ru Freeman, Emma Copley Eisenberg and Marc Anthony Richardson who will be reading from their work. Doors will open at 5 p.m. for drinks and snacks; the readings start at 7 p.m. Come early to secure a seat! Books will be available for sale during the event, provided by Bindlestiff Books.

Here’s some more information about the writers from the event organizers:

Ru Freeman is the author of the novels A Disobedient Girl and On Sal Mal Lane, a New York Times Editor’s Choice Book. She is the editor of the ground-breaking anthology, Extraordinary Rendition: American Writers on Palestine. Her writing appears internationally in the UK Guardian, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. She blogs for The Huffington Post on literature and politics, is a contributing editorial board member of the Asian American Literary Review, and is the recipient of many fellowships including from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, and the Lannan Foundation. Ru teaches creative writing at Columbia University.  Continue Reading

Source image by Kaitlin Moore, “The River,” taken at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, August 2017.

This Wednesday, an exhibition of astrophotography (photographs of the sky at night) by Penn undergrad Kaitlin Moore will be opening at the Brodsky Gallery on Penn campus. Moore, a former astrophysics major, is interested in communicating both the scale and distance of astronomical objects in her photographs. She chose works that demonstrate the juxtaposition of normal, everyday objects, like buildings and trees, with wide, long-exposure shots of the stars.

“I tried to keep from being intimidated or scared of the scale of [my subject matter],” Moore says. “I had the opportunity to acknowledge my fear, and turn it into something beautiful.”  Continue Reading

The Drexel University Gospel Choir is celebrating 40 years of song, worship, praise, fellowship and ministry on March 9-11. The weekend-long celebration will include a throwback reunion luncheon, alumni welcome reception, campus tours and of course, a concert to commemorate 40 years!

The Drexel University Gospel Choir’s journey began in the spring of 1978, under the direction of Vashti “Tina” Gorham until 1985. From 1985 until the present, the Drexel University Gospel choir has been under the anointed direction of Pastor Gregory Ross, traveling throughout the United States and abroad praising the Lord through song, mime and dance.  Continue Reading