ARTS FLASH: Mia Farrow to receive Marian Anderson Award

Named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2000, Farrow has traveled around the world to speak out for kids affected by violent conflicts - and she was among the first figures to highlight the tragedy in Darfur. Next week, in Philadelphia, she'll receive another prestigious honor: the Marian Anderson Award.

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ARTS FLASH: Mia Farrow to receive Marian Anderson Award

POSTED: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 10:00 AM

She’s not just a cultural icon: Mia Farrow has “used her platform as an artist to draw needed attention” to humanitarian causes, notes arts administrator J. Patrick Moran. Named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2000, Farrow has traveled around the world to speak out for kids affected by violent conflicts — and she was among the first figures to highlight the tragedy in Darfur. Her efforts helped her become one of Time magazine’s most influential people worldwide. Next week, in Philadelphia, she’ll receive another prestigious honor: the Marian Anderson Award, for which Moran is executive director.

Legendary contralto and Philadelphia native Marian Anderson was born at the turn of the 20th century. She was a powerful force in gaining acceptance for African-Americans in classical music, and went on to become a US Special Envoy to the Far East, as well as a delegate to the UN’s General Assembly. As a fellow artist-humanitarian, Mia Farrow has followed in her footsteps.

The award, begun in 1998, celebrates artists like Anderson and Farrow, who have dedicated themselves to humanitarian issues. Recipients have ranged from Bill Cosby to Maya Angelou and Elizabeth Taylor to Quincy Jones. Tuesday’s ceremony honoring Farrow, at the Kimmel Center, will bring together a star-studded ensemble of Farrow’s fellow artists. “We wanted to assemble a group of women who excel in their arts” and are “interracial [and] intergenerational,” says Moran. The night will be hosted by the Emmy Award-winning Judith Jamison of Philadelphia, artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The Philadelphia Orchestra, directed by Cristian Macelaru, will perform works including Bernstein’s overture to Candide; one of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, no. 8; and Mendelssohn’s Overture to Ruy Blas, Op. 95. The orchestra will also back some impressive guest stars: opera’s Angela Brown will perform, as will Carly Simon. For her performance, the singer-songwriter — who is also a friend of Farrow — will join forces with son Ben Taylor as well as the Keystone Boychoir and Pennsylvania Girlchoir. On top of all that, 2010 Best New Artist Grammy winner, jazz singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding, will offer a solo tribute to Farrow.

Tue., May 10, 8:30 p.m., $18-$106, Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, 260 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999; the Kimmel Center box office; and philorch.org.

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