“When we began ‘Curbside Wilmington’ in June, in partnership with Downtown Visions and The Committee of 100, we hoped the new business model could be applied to other restaurant districts in the City,” said Mayor Purzycki.

WILMINGTON (DE): While most citywide businesses struggle to remain open or even operate, the impact of the Coronovirus (COVID-19) disease has been felt hard throughout the city of Wilmington and all across the state.

While Delaware is in Phase II of the reopening of the economy and even though most Delaware businesses are permitted to reopen with strict safety measures in place, Delaware businesses are finding it very difficult to remain open during the pandemic with a capacity limit of 60%, let alone non essential businesses were forced closed back in March.

In it’s third survey, The Delaware Prosperity Partnership, says that revenues are down for nearly all industries and business sizes, with 82% of respondents indicating a decline in revenue (similar to the second survey). On average, respondents indicated their business could survive for about 12 weeks – in line with the average from earlier surveys – but this includes a wide range of responses. About one-quarter of respondents could survive four weeks or less, similar to the second survey’s findings.

Thanks to Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki some relief have come to the dinning industry in Wilmington. Back in June, the mayor introduced the “Curbside Dinning” Initiative which is a partnership with Wilmington’s Downtown Visions and The Committee of 100. The Initiative is supported by City Council Member Charles “Bud” Freel.

“Curbside Dinning” was launched back in June, and “Dinning on Delaware” kicked off last weekend. It’s all an effort to support local businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic by enabling eateries to expand their outdoor dining areas through additional seating at safely spaced distances.

“As we all struggle to adapt to this new environment, I hope you’ll dine along Market Street and Delaware Avenue and show support for area businesses and the many workers they employ. I would also urge you to support businesses throughout the City, but do so responsibly and safely.,” said Mayor Mike Purzycki.

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As part of “Curbside Wilmington,” curbside pull-in spots have been designated throughout the Downtown area for all businesses, both retail and restaurants, to use for pick-up and curbside delivery. “Dining on Delaware” will result in the closure of Delaware Avenue between North Clayton and North DuPont street as well as North DuPont Street and North Scott Street beginning at 4 p.m. as dining tables are set up curb to curb.

There will be live music at both locations, and a list of all participating restaurants is included below.
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Bardea Food & Drink
Café Mezzanotte
Cavanaugh’s Restaurant
Chelsea Tavern
DiMeo’s Pizza
El Diablo
Farmer & The Cow
Green Box Kitchen
Jimmy John’s
La Fia Bistro
Makers Alley
Stitch House Brewery
Tasties 302
Tonic Bar & Grille
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Catherine Rooney’s Irish Pub & Restaurant
Trolley Tap House
Island Fin Poke
Gianni’s Pizza
Cafe Verdi
Kelly’s Logan House
Trolley Square Oyster House
Bar Roja
Crow Bar
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Like many arts organizations, OperaDelaware’s season was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic, so join the Drive-Through-Aria on July 16th & 17th.

Wilmington (DE): The company, now celebrating its 75th anniversary, was forced to cancel its spring festival which brings artist and patrons to Delaware from more than thirty states.  In June, the company offered several successful “Drive-Through-Aria” events in the parking lot of its riverfront studio, and began the show on the road this week.

Thanks in part to in-kind support from the EDiS Corporation, OperaDelaware’s mobile opera cart will begin making pop up appearances throughout the state.

“The pandemic has created a difficult landscape for so many people,” said OperaDelaware’s General Director, Brendan Cooke.  “The arts sector has been hit particularly hard.   Even if organizations can successfully navigate the challenges of physically distanced seating in a theater, there is simply no safe way to rehearse right now.  Fortunately, artists and companies throughout the country are coming up with creative ways to connect with their audiences, and we’re delighted to borrow this strategy from our friends at Opera Memphis.”

On July 2, the first outing of the mobile opera cart offered  short (15 minute) programs to the Newark and Delaware campuses of ChristianaCare, as well as to The Country House retirement community in Greenville.  Three Wilmington residents with international opera credits (Grant Youngblood, baritone, Jason Berger, tenor and Gina Perregrino, mezzo) were be accompanied by OperaDelaware’s Head of Music Staff, Aurelien Eulert, and live, real-time supertitle translations were sent directly to listener’s mobile devices through the LiveNote(™) platform.  For more information, visit www.operade.org/livenote

“Opera singers are facing a long road ahead, with months and months of cancelations until the pandemic is under control.  Programs like this allow us to compensate artists for their talents in some small way, while bringing the joy and beauty of live music to those who need it most.  We are grateful to ChristianaCare for allowing us to kick off this program in such a beautiful way by saying ‘thank you’ to our health-care professionals…” said Brendan Cooke.  “We hope these short concerts provided a moment of peace and inspiration to those who are working so hard to keep our community safe.”

SAVE THE DATES
July 16 & 17 | 7:15 pm
TICKETS ON SALE SOON
Performances outside of the OperaDelaware Studios (4 S. Poplar St., Wilmington)

For more information on upcoming events, or how to book your own performance, visit operade.org or email bcooke@operad.org

The 33rd Annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival kicks off tomorrow, Wednesday, June 24, featuring music from 80 local performers who are part of 15 musical acts.

Wilmington (DE): The festival begins this year with a pre-festival event tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. highlighting The Boysie Lowery Living Jazz Residency Program. The residency, formerly a Light Up the Queen Foundation project, will become a Cityfest youth arts education program in 2021.

How/Where to Watch the Festival
Because of COVID-19, this year’s premier musical event is being staged as the first virtual jazz festival in City history. The 2020 jazz festival performances will be live-streamed from a local music studio on Wednesday, June 24 through Saturday, June 27, with sets beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Philadelphia’s WRTI 90.1 FM will carry the festival live on its website, as will WITN Channel 22. The festival will also be streamed on City of Wilmington’s Facebook page and on YouTube, and Wilmington Brew Works, at 3929 Miller Road, and Wilmington Curbside will host jazz festival viewing parties for patrons. This year’s festival is comprised of 15 groups featuring 80 local and regional artists. A list of performers is included at the end of this news release.

“Everyone throughout the City and the world will now have the opportunity to enjoy Wilmington’s iconic music event which, for years, has proudly been billed as the largest FREE jazz festival on the East Coast,” said Mayor Purzycki. “The pandemic will not interrupt a City institution or the talents of scores of musicians, many of them local music icons. Tina and I are very excited, and we hope you enjoy the festival.”

A Tribute to Wilmington’s Own Clifford Brown
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is an annual tribute to the late jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown, who was born in 1930 on the east side of the City. Also known as ‘Brownie,’ he died in 1956 at the age of 25 in a car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, leaving behind only a few years’ worth of recordings. However, Brown’s short life has had a considerable influence on later jazz musicians such as Arturo Sandoval, Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, and Freddie Hubbard. Several of Brown’s compositions, including “Joy Spring” and “Daahoud” have become jazz standards.

Our Thanks to Festival Committee and Sponsors
Mayor Purzycki and Director Betz today thanked the festival’s planning committee and production team, which includes Raye Jones Avery, Jonathan Whitney, and Gerald Chavis. In addition to WRTI 90.1 FM and Wilmington Brew Works, special thanks are extended to Delmarva Power, An Exelon Company, Shoprite and the Kenny Family Foundation, Ken-Del Studios, the Delaware Art Museum, Christina Cultural Arts Center, Light Action Productions, The Grand, WhyFly, Wilmington City Council’s WITN Channel 22, and Jam 24/7. Appreciation is also extended to the Curbside Wilmington partners, which include Downtown Visions, The Committee of 100, Chase Bank, and Colonial Parking.

The virtual festival is FREE to enjoy, but donations to Cityfest, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit, are encouraged. Donations can be made on www. CityfestWilm.com. A portion of the donations will be used to establish a COVID-19 Relief Fund to help our local musicians affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

2020 Performance Lineup for the 33rd Annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival

Wednesday, June 24, 2020
7 p.m. – Pre-Festival event featuring the Boysie Lowery Living Jazz Residency Program and graduates

Thursday, June 25, 2020
7 p.m. – Arturo Stable Quartet
8:10 p.m. – Sharon Sable Quintet
9:20 p.m. – Cintron

Friday, June 26, 2020
7 p.m. – Gerald Chavis Quintet
8:05 p.m. – Mike Boone Quartet
9:10 p.m. – Barbara Walker
10:15 p.m. – Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead

Saturday, June 27, 2020
3 p.m. – Vertical Current
4:05 p.m. – “Voices for Healing” with Raye Jones Avery
4:55 p.m. – Terra Soul Project
6 p.m. – Dennis Fortune
7:05 p.m. – The Whitney Project
8:10 p.m. – Korey Riker Band

9:15 p.m. – Fostina Dixon & the Winds of Change
10:30 p.m. – Jeff Bradshaw Band

For more information about the jazz festival, please visit www.cliffordbrownjazzfest.com.

Live music will also return to Wilmington with The Rock Orchestra on Friday, July 3; tickets on sale tomorrow

Wilmington (DE): The Grand Opera House announces that it will once again bring live music to the Greater Wilmington community this July with the area’s FIRST-EVER drive-in concert. Featuring popular local tribute band, The Rock Orchestra, playing the greatest hits of The Beatles, the show will take place on Friday, July 3rd at 7:00 pm in the Frawley Stadium parking lot on Wilmington’s Riverfront.

“We’ve worked with our partners to create a safe, comfortable, high-quality experience that will blend the special joy of a live concert, the vibe of a drive-in movie, and the charms of a summer evening outdoors,” says Executive Director Mark Fields. “We’ve missed welcoming patrons into our homes on Market Street and we hope that this series of concerts provides a way for our community to welcome live music back into a daily routine that has been dominated by Zooms and TV binge-watching. It represents a major step forward for The Grand in providing arts experiences to the community.”

“Capacity is limited for the first concert, so be among the first to share in this unique concert experiment that we intend to be the beginning of a summer of entertainment, Grand-style,” says Fields. “It is our hope to attract national artists that have typically performed on our indoor stages to our new outdoor configuration.”

The Concerts by Car series is presented in part by PNC Arts Alive, New Castle County, and The City of Wilmington. Additional support is provided by Riverfront Development Corporation, The Wilmington Blue Rocks, Colonial Parking, Kenny Family ShopRites, NKS Distributors, and Electro Sound Systems.

“We’re looking forward to a wonderful partnership with The Grand,” said County Executive Matt Meyer. “This is a way for us to join together and celebrate the arts here in New Castle County.”

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki adds “Live music has been Wilmington’s lifeblood over the years, and its recent absence has been keenly felt. I applaud the efforts of our friends at The Grand, who have found an innovative and groundbreaking way to let us appreciate live music outdoors again. This is just one more example of the many positive, creative initiatives that are now cropping up all over Wilmington in response to our new environment.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 19, and are $25 per person per car, plus fees. They are available by calling The Grand Box Office at 302.652.5577 or online at www.TheGrandWilmington.org. The Grand is not accepting any in-person purchases at our box offices due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

IF YOU GO:
What: Concerts by Car Series Kick-Off featuring The Rock Orchestra
When: Friday, July 3 at 7:00 pm. Concert will be no longer than 90 minutes.
Where: The parking lot of Frawley Stadium
How much: $25 per person, per car (maximum $100 per car for four occupants)

SAFETY AND SANITATION INFORMATION:
Social distancing measures will operate in accordance with Delaware guidelines:
• Vehicles will be spaced approximately 6’-8’ apart. Windows may remain open at this distance.
• Cars will be parked in a manner to achieve at/or appropriate spacing and best visibility.
• Patrons are encouraged to remain in their vehicles. However, you may leave your car and sit in your own chairs in the adjoining space beside your car.
• Face masks must be worn anytime you are outside your vehicle.
• There are NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS at this engagement.
• There is no re-entry once your vehicle leaves the grounds.
• In accordance with state guidelines, patrons will be asked to leave if they do not adhere to the rules and regulations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
• Tickets MUST be purchased in advance. There are no walk-up sales allowed.
• Passenger vehicles only. No buses, party buses, limousines, bicycles, or foot traffic allowed. ADA accessible vehicles will be permitted.
• All tickets are general admission and spots cannot be reserved.
• Rain date for this event is Sunday, July 5.
• Concert will take place in the Main Parking Lot of Frawley Stadium. All traffic must enter from Justison Street.
• There will be no concessions served. Alcohol prohibited.
• Attendees will be able to hear the concerts via FM radio. Details will be provided on-site.
• We discourage vehicles with more than four occupants.
• No pets allowed.
State guidance on social distancing, public gatherings and certain procedures and practices is subject to change.

These programs are supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.