Helen Mirren Brings Her Star Power To Philly

Set to be the Philadelphia Orchestra's party of the season, the 162nd Academy of Music Anniversary Concert and Ball celebrates the grand heritage of the "Grand Old Lady of Locust Street", the place where the orchestra first developed and perfected their world class sound. To mark the special occasion, the ensemble's music-director-in-chief Yannick Nezet-Seguin welcomes Oscar, Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning acting icon Helen Mirren for an unforgettable white-tie evening of soul-stirring music and spoken word. Proceeds from the annual event go towards the ongoing preservation and restoration of the Academy of Music's building and grounds. 

Whilst Mirren doesn't sing or play the banjo like last year's guest star Steve Martin, the Queen of stage and silver screen has performed with orchestras in the past, channeling her charismatic gravitational pull towards recitations of Shakespearean works set to classical music, as seen and heard in her 2011 performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream along side Jeremy Irons and the Castleton Symphony Orchestra. Mirren's recent accolades include A Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to the dramatic arts, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a BAFTA Academy Fellowship.