If you want to see more of the company's cutting-edge productions you won't want to miss the company premiere of Powder Her Face, composer Thomas Adès’s provocative debut opera based on a real-life sex scandal that rocked the British aristocracy in the 1960s. The work is based on the life of Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, in Adès’s high-society satire, Britain’s so-called “Dirty Duchess,” whose sensational divorce trial, complete with explicit Polaroids and allegations of depraved sexual exploits, riveted the U.K. in 1963.

The Duke bitterly divorced Margaret on grounds of her nymphomania, producing in court those compromising photos along with a list of her 88 alleged “conquests,” including three members of Britain’s Royal Family and Hollywood stars like Bob Hope, Maurice Chevalier, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and David Niven. In her prime, the Duchess’s beauty was so well known she was mentioned in Cole Porter’s song “You’re the Top.” She and the Duke lived in Scotland's Inveraray Castle, a grand estate featured this past season on the hit BBC TV series Downton Abbey.

Renowned soprano Patricia Schuman, whose career has included leading performances at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and Covent Garden among others, makes her role debut as the Duchess. The production is directed by William Kerley and conducted by music director Corrado Rovaris, with music that includes aspects of stage musicals and jazz.

Art of Food — Produced by Monica Rogozinski

Fresh Palates to Palettes is a program implemented at the Southwest Leadership Academy Charter School created in collaboration with their lead art teacher, Deva Watson, and the national award winning Philadelphia-based non-profit, Fresh Artists. This project allows students from disadvantaged neighborhoods to experience both fine and culinary art and learn how the attributes of both fields can enhance work. The students are able to see first hand how a fine dining meal can translate into pen and paper while learning how they can use these skills in a business sense by reinterpreting their drawings into a marketing campaign.

Explore more:

• Will BYOB
• Bistrot la Minette
• Osteria Philly
• Metropolitan Bakery
• Audrey Claire Cook

Young Philanthropy

In order to combat cuts within the School District of Philadelphia's academic art-funding, Barbara Chandler of Fresh Artists demonstrates how her recently published children's book, "Pablo The Philly Philanthropist", serves as a tool of philanthropic encouragement, motiving children to create artwork that will empower their fellow public school art programs. Edited by John Shirk

Opera Philadelphia

Art of Life — Produced by Karen Smyles

Opera Philadelphia creates outstanding productions of both classic and new operatic works that resonate within the community, assembles the finest international creative artists, and presents a wide array of programming that educates, deepens, and diversifies the opera audience in Philadelphia and beyond. Performance offerings include large-scale works at the historic Academy of Music, intimate chamber operas as part of the Aurora Series for Chamber Opera at the Perelman Theater, and frequent community performances which focus on creative partnerships and enhanced accessibility. The company has launched the American Repertoire Program, a commitment to produce a new American work in each of ten seasons, which began in 2012.

In February 2013, Art of Life visited with Opera Philadelphia as they prepared for the East Coast premiere of Silent Night, which was co-produced with the Minnesota Opera company as part of the American Repertoire Program. Between the premiere in Minnesota and the performances here, the opera won a Pulitzer Prize and received rave reviews from the critics. We went behind the scenes to meet and talk with the director and three of the stars, to see how this enormous production all comes together on opening night. We also had the opportunity to talk with David Devan, the company's General Director and President, to learn about the groundbreaking new initiatives they are launching to make the rest of the opera world stand up and take notice.

Through These Photographs

Art — Produced by Michael O’Reilly

A man lands at a major-metropolitan airport somewhere in the United States at night. He leaves the baggage claim and sets out on foot with an old fashioned large-format view camera slung over his shoulder like a hobo's bindle. He is walking to the city center taking pictures along the way. The photographer is Will Steacy and these photographs will ultimately form the basis of his book DOWN THESE MEAN STREETS. A contributor to Harper's and Esquire, Steacy's photos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina are used in the opening credits of the HBO series, TREME. Steacy recently did a presentation of his STREETS photos at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC). In this ART segment, we talk to Steacy and Sarah Stolfa, the founder and director of PPAC about the need she saw in the Philadelphia area for an organization that could help with the emerging technology of digital photography, and about how she started doing her own work, taking pictures of the regulars at McGlinchey's, where she tended bar while in school.

Fresh Palates to Palettes

Art of Food — Produced by Monica Rogozinski

Fresh Palates to Palettes is a program implemented at the Southwest Leadership Academy Charter School created in collaboration with their lead art teacher, Deva Watson, and the national award winning Philadelphia-based non-profit, Fresh Artists. This project allows students from disadvantaged neighborhoods to experience both fine and culinary art and learn how the attributes of both fields can enhance work. The students are able to see first hand how a fine dining meal can translate into pen and paper while learning how they can use these skills in a business sense by reinterpreting their drawings into a marketing campaign.

In the 60's, The Supremes were the most commercially successful singing group at Motown Records, and to date, are the most successful vocal group in America, with twelve number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. During the Civil Rights movement they became the “Cross-over group” that made it possible for future R&B musicians to find mainstream success. It all began with the dreams of three little girls who grew up in a project in Detroit, Michigan. Mary Wilson was one of the founding members along with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross.

The group changed a lot over the years, with several singers coming and going. However, Mary Wilson was there until the end when the group disbanded in 1977. As the last member, Wilson found herself the keeper of all of the fabulous costumes the group had worn over the years and when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame offered to curate an exhibit of the pieces, Wilson thought it was a great idea.

Now through the end of June, Come See About Me: The Mary Wilson Supremes Collection will be on display at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Thirty stunning gowns, rare video footage and archival images, will take you back to an era when pop music was truly glamorous.

Friday Arts sat down for a one-on-one interview with Mary Wilson when she was in town to open the exhibit. Wilson shared stories of how the Supremes came together and what it was like being a member of this legendary female singing group. We also take you up-close for a look at the gowns created by some of the biggest names in the fashion industry.

Art — Produced by Michael O’Reilly

The ExCITe Center, at Drexel University, seems an odd jumble of upper and lower case letters. The ExCITe Center is an acronym for "Expressive-Creative-Interactive-Technology" center as Dr. Youngmoo Kim, director of the center, explains it. A university-wide center, Dr. Kim hopes to build on the work he is doing at his own lab and attract participants from artistic and technical disciplines from within Drexel and the surrounding Philadelphia area to explore the intersection between art and technology. The center has produced attachments for pianos that allow a pianist to control magnetic fields that work in tandem with finger movements to generate otherworldly sounds with the lightest of touches. Additionally, they are also working with the largest collection of humanoid robots in the United States (they are called HUBO's and are on loan to the center from Korea), to explore what it means to be "creatively expressive". In this segment, we see what it takes to make humanoid robots dance and magnetic pianos play, and how humans and machines work together to make art.

Upcoming event at ExCITe: Science of Jazz, April 23 »

EsteAm — Edited by John Shirk
Why does our education system need the arts? Dr. Youngmoo E. Kim of Drexel University shines a light on the subject and provides his ExCITeful approach towards the educational integration of art within a technologically-fueled 21st century.

Producer Michael O'Reilly created this audio piece for a radio broadcast on the same night as the TV premiere of the April episode, highlighting his own take on the work at the ExCITe center, and how pianos can influence robots.

Stone fruit, ginger, molasses, apricot and cranberry may not be the first characteristics one would associate with coffee, but amongst coffee experts at cupping events, those are some of the flavors and aromas to be found while sipping a perfect brew. Specialty coffee people are not afraid to call themselves "obsessed" with the art of roasting and brewing coffee. They all started in the business moved by a passion for the drink and a search for the perfect cup. Once they taught themselves to source, roast and brew to perfection, they decided to share their expertise with the public.

In this episode of Friday Arts, the Art of Food segment showcases a few of the local coffee specialists. With the coffee renaissance of the past five years, these local coffee experts stand out from amongst the growing group. We go from a learning lab for professional baristas or home brewers to small batch roasters and to coffee bars in Philadelphia.

Explore more

• Peregrine Coffee
• Ultimo Coffee
• Reanimator Coffee
• Nook Bakery and Coffee
• Counter Culture Coffee

The small and mighty market of bespoken coffee is a-brewin'. In this web segment, owner and roaster of Peregrine Coffee Kevin Lawrence paints a backdrop to the integrity of a light-roasted coffee bean.

Art of Life — Produced by Karen Smyles

In the 60's, The Supremes were the most commercially successful singing group at Motown Records, and to date, are the most successful vocal group in America, with twelve number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. During the Civil Rights movement they became the “Cross-over group” that made it possible for future R&B musicians to find mainstream success. It all began with the dreams of three little girls who grew up in a project in Detroit, Michigan. Mary Wilson was one of the founding members along with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross.

The group changed a lot over the years, with several singers coming and going. However, Mary Wilson was there until the end when the group disbanded in 1977. As the last member, Wilson found herself the keeper of all of the fabulous costumes the group had worn over the years and when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame offered to curate an exhibit of the pieces, Wilson thought it was a great idea.

Now through the end of June, Come See About Me: The Mary Wilson Supremes Collection will be on display at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Thirty stunning gowns, rare video footage and archival images, will take you back to an era when pop music was truly glamorous.

Friday Arts sat down for a one-on-one interview with Mary Wilson when she was in town to open the exhibit. Wilson shared stories of how the Supremes came together and what it was like being a member of this legendary female singing group. We also take you up-close for a look at the gowns created by some of the biggest names in the fashion industry.

The ExCITe Center

Art — Produced by Michael O’Reilly

The ExCITe Center, at Drexel University, seems an odd jumble of upper and lower case letters. The ExCITe Center is an acronym for "Expressive-Creative-Interactive-Technology" center as Dr. Youngmoo Kim, director of the center, explains it. A university-wide center, Dr. Kim hopes to build on the work he is doing at his own lab and attract participants from artistic and technical disciplines from within Drexel and the surrounding Philadelphia area to explore the intersection between art and technology. The center has produced attachments for pianos that allow a pianist to control magnetic fields that work in tandem with finger movements to generate otherworldly sounds with the lightest of touches. Additionally, they are also working with the largest collection of humanoid robots in the United States (they are called HUBO's and are on loan to the center from Korea), to explore what it means to be "creatively expressive". In this segment, we see what it takes to make humanoid robots dance and magnetic pianos play, and how humans and machines work together to make art.

The Perfect Brew

Art of Food — Produced by Monica Rogozinski

Stone fruit, ginger, molasses, apricot and cranberry may not be the first characteristics one would associate with coffee, but amongst coffee experts at cupping events, those are some of the flavors and aromas to be found while sipping a perfect brew. Specialty coffee people are not afraid to call themselves "obsessed" with the art of roasting and brewing coffee. They all started in the business moved by a passion for the drink and a search for the perfect cup. Once they taught themselves to source, roast and brew to perfection, they decided to share their expertise with the public.

In this episode of Friday Arts, the Art of Food segment showcases a few of the local coffee specialists. With the coffee renaissance of the past five years, these local coffee experts stand out from amongst the growing group. We go from a learning lab for professional baristas or home brewers to small batch roasters and to coffee bars in Philadelphia.

Chapter 1 — The Dufala brothers will tell you that there are 5 total Dufala Brothers but that they two – Steven and Billy Blaise Dufala – are the ones that work together to make art. And when people ask them just how they work together, they indicate that it is kind of like an architectural firm, where they both have similar sensibilities but are good at different things. And they have been very good at establishing a foothold at Revolution Recovery in North East Philadelphia, where they have been able to turn the "waste stream" (less euphemistically known as "other people's trash") into art. This art has garnered an Obie award for set design in NYC, the West Grand Prize, an international juried prize in its inaugural year, and have been part of a group show at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and a solo show at The Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery at Haverford College. The Dufala Brothers were most recently nominated for a Pew Fellowship in the Arts.

Web Extra: Trashy

One man’s trash is another man’s… art. Artists Billy and Steven Dufala would certainly agree after establishing a working relationship with Philadelphia’s Revolution Recovery Recycling Facility. This web segment focuses on an interaction between artists, the present day waste stream, and this privately run recycling facility, which in turn, serves as a model for contemporary ingenuity and resource. Edited by John Shirk

Chapter 2 — The Tiberino family, often referred to as “The West Philly Wyeths”, have been creating art in their Powelton Village neighborhood for over half a century. Joe Tiberino and wife, Ellen Powell Tiberino, who passed away in 1992, have firmly established themselves in Philadelphia's art community and beyond, and the Tiberino children have followed their lead. Daughter Ellen Tiberino works in ceramics and stained glass, Raphael describes his work as figurative impressionistic, and Gabriel has created several works for the Mural Arts Program.

The Ellen Powell Tiberino Memorial Museum was established in October 1999 to celebrate the artist's life and career. The museum consists of five houses and a common courtyard, filled with artwork by the Tiberino family and the works of over 30 other artists. On a nice day you'll find people from all walks of life taking it all in.

New Jersey filmmaker, Derrick Woodyard felt the Tiberino story was one that needed to be shared with the world and has created a documentary that will premiere later this year. Art of Life had the opportunity to speak with family members about their careers and art, and to learn why they felt it was important to share their story. Woodyard hopes the documentary will bring the artists long overdue recognition and that it will encourage people to visit the museum and to experience their amazing art.

Filmmaker Woodyard and the Tiberino family talk about the making of the documentary. — Edited by John Shirk

Since 1771, the Olde Swedes Inn has served South Jersey as a place of lodging and dining. Recent renovations and new ownership have claimed a new life for the Olde Swedes Inn, under the name of Tavro 13. This restaurant, lounge, and bar serve as an innovative take on fine dining apart from the city of Philadelphia. The classic cocktails, live music lounge, and seasonally inspired American cuisine reflect local culture on both fronts: with well-preserved history and cutting-edge contemporary. Chef Terence Feury leads the completely "in house" dining experience to an utterly unique context of food, fun, sophistication, and neighborhood familiarity, right here in Swedesboro, New Jersey.

Web Extra: Extended Interview with Gus Tzitzifas

Gus Tzitzifas recounts his first encounters with the 200 year old customer from the Olde Swedes Inn building, that now houses his fine dinning restaurant Tavro Thirteen.