For the eighth summer in a row, the Penn Museum will bring live global music—including the sounds of Creole zydeco, Latin jazz, Middle Eastern folk, and pre-revolutionary Cuba—to its outdoor garden courtyard. Open to the public, the “Summer Nights Concert Series” runs on Wednesday evenings through Sept. 5, and offers a “pay-what-you-wish” rate for PennCard holders, as well as Penn Medicine and CHOP employees who show their employee cards.
“Once you’re in that courtyard space, it’s an urban oasis in a way,” says Chambrel Jones, director of administrative operations at the School of Engineering and Applied Science. “It’s an opportunity to kick back with your colleagues with a relaxed vibe and atmosphere outside of the office.”
For the past couple years, a concert in the series has intertwined with Penn Engineering’s annual staff appreciation week, which Jones organizes. The concerts have become a popular outing for the Engineering team and their families—“something the staff really has grown to look forward to,” says Jones, who helps coordinate Engineering’s sponsorship of admission for staffers’ family guests, as well as drink tickets.
Also a draw, says Jones, is that the Museum itself stays open until 8 p.m., allowing concert attendees—with no additional cost—to pop into the Museum and view its galleries past its typical hours of operation.
“The Penn Museum is such a great and valued resource here at the University,” says Jones. “This makes for a good reminder of that.”
In conjunction with the Museum’s opening of its new Middle East Galleries, the concert series kicks off on Wednesday, June 20, with a performance from Animus, an Eastern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Latin, and American-fusion ensemble.
Outside, the Pepper Mill Café offers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, giving each event a “happy hour” feel, says Tena Thomason, the Penn Museum’s assistant director of public programs. Limited seating is available, and attendees are welcome to bring blankets, chairs, and picnic food.
“Doors open at 5 p.m., if you want to come in and hangout with colleagues or friends for a while,” says Thomason. “We always hope to see people enjoying the gardens who may not have otherwise stepped in.”
This year’s performers offer a mix of “some great returners and newbies alike,” says Thomason. “It’s global music, which fits right in with the Museum.”
The only Wednesday a concert isn’t scheduled for is the Fourth of July. The rest of the summer, though, is booked with a variety of performances. In the case of inclement weather, the concerts are moved inside the Museum.
General admission is $10, and it’s free for Penn Museum members and children under 6. See this summer’s complete concert line-up here.
