Aretha Franklin and Condoleezza Rice will hold a rare performance together tonight, July 27, at Philadelphia’s Mann Music Center. Ticket holders for tonight’s eight o'clock concert will join the pair for the launch of a 12-month countdown to the completion of the new performing arts center.
Aretha Franklin will of course sing, and Condoleezza Rice, a classically trained pianist on top of her other accomplishments, will accompany her and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The two world-famous ladies with dramatically different careers (one, the Queen of Soul; the other, George Bush’s former national security adviser and U.S. secretary of state) have decided to join their musical talents for a cause close to their hearts in the “city of brotherly love.”
Tonight’s performance is to raise money and awareness for music & arts education “for the inner-city youth of Philadelphia and Detroit,” Franklin told the Associated Press.
The concert will feature the Philadelphia Orchestra and include a number of hits from Franklin’s catalog, as well as arias from the world of opera and classical music.
Condoleezza Rice will accompany the famed singer in her hits “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “I Say a Little Prayer,” and perform Mozart’s piano concerto in D Minor with the orchestra. Franklin’s repertoire will also include songs from her new album “A Woman Falling Out of Love,” scheduled for release later this year.
Rice is a seasoned musician used to performing chamber music and with quartets, but tonight she will be truly playing with the Greats, though she has already played with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Her given name is reportedly derived from the Italian opera stage instruction con dolcezza, meaning “with sweetness.”
“She really does play ... she’s formidable,” Franklin told the Associated Press.
AP reports Rice as explaining their plan to play together was borne of their mutual appreciation for music and determination to keep it near and accessible to children.
“Our motivation here is to raise money. This is a bipartisan effort for all of our people,” Franklin told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Aretha Franklin will of course sing, and Condoleezza Rice, a classically trained pianist on top of her other accomplishments, will accompany her and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The two world-famous ladies with dramatically different careers (one, the Queen of Soul; the other, George Bush’s former national security adviser and U.S. secretary of state) have decided to join their musical talents for a cause close to their hearts in the “city of brotherly love.”
Tonight’s performance is to raise money and awareness for music & arts education “for the inner-city youth of Philadelphia and Detroit,” Franklin told the Associated Press.
The concert will feature the Philadelphia Orchestra and include a number of hits from Franklin’s catalog, as well as arias from the world of opera and classical music.
Condoleezza Rice will accompany the famed singer in her hits “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “I Say a Little Prayer,” and perform Mozart’s piano concerto in D Minor with the orchestra. Franklin’s repertoire will also include songs from her new album “A Woman Falling Out of Love,” scheduled for release later this year.
Rice is a seasoned musician used to performing chamber music and with quartets, but tonight she will be truly playing with the Greats, though she has already played with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Her given name is reportedly derived from the Italian opera stage instruction con dolcezza, meaning “with sweetness.”
“She really does play ... she’s formidable,” Franklin told the Associated Press.
AP reports Rice as explaining their plan to play together was borne of their mutual appreciation for music and determination to keep it near and accessible to children.
“Our motivation here is to raise money. This is a bipartisan effort for all of our people,” Franklin told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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