Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia to leave Kimmel Center after 24 years
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia has announced it will vacate the Kimmel Center after 24 years, citing escalating costs that make a continued residency there financially unsustainable. All 2025–26 concerts originally scheduled at the Kimmel’s Perelman Auditorium will be performed at alternative venues in Center City, aiming to minimise inconvenience to audiences.
“This is startling news, I know,” the orchestra said in a letter to patrons, “but the circumstances reflect pervasive trends and challenges we’ve been wrestling with for some time. The escalating costs of performing at the Kimmel are diverting resources from other critical needs of the organisation, and one thing we will never compromise is the quality of the music we play or our ability to remain on a sound financial footing.”
Rising operational costs, including fair compensation for musicians and production expenses, have increased by an average of 47 per cent over the past five years.
At the same time, the orchestra has tried to avoid raising ticket prices, keeping performances accessible as audiences return to live events.
Looking ahead, the chamber orchestra plans to take up residency in a newly renovated Center City venue for the 2026–27 season, described as a space with “great acoustics, fresh amenities, and a scale that conforms perfectly to the intimate experience of chamber orchestra performance.” In the meantime, some concerts will temporarily be held at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, with a performance in May 2026 at the Philadelphia Film Society.
Reflecting wider economic pressures facing orchestras nationwide, the chamber orchestra framed the change as both a financial necessity and an artistic opportunity: “Reducing the cost to perform is not only a path to a healthier balance sheet. It’s an opportunity to spread our artistic wings with more musicians on stage performing a wider variety of repertoire we could not previously consider.”
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia asked for patrons’ understanding and support during this transition, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to the city’s cultural life: “We very much hope you’ll be with us on this next leg of the journey, enjoying great musical choices and applauding the virtuosity of our musicians – something you can always count on wherever we play.”
The plight of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia highlights a wider challenge for performing arts organisations worldwide: without venue support, the future landscape for orchestras and other arts organisations may look very different.
