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Honoring Anne Ewers, on the occasion of her retirement as President and CEO of the Kimmel Center, Inc., for 14 years of outstanding service to the Philadelphia cultural community and to the entire City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Anne Ewers is an accomplished arts executive and artistic director, with four decades of dedicated service in the arts. Among her academic accomplishments are a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Bachelor of Music from Fontbonne University, a Master of Music in Opera Production from the University of Texas at Austin, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Drexel University; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Ewers started her career as an assistant stage director at San Francisco Opera, then becoming general director of the Boston Lyric Opera, the Utah Opera, and the Utah Symphony and Opera. In 2007, she became president and CEO of the Kimmel Center, Inc., the owner and operator of the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus; and
WHEREAS, Under her direction, the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus has delivered a broad range of exceptional artistic experiences at the Kimmel Center, the Merriam Theater and the Academy of Music. The campus is home to eight world-class arts organizations; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Ewers has stewarded the stability, strength and growth of the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus, the second largest cultural campus in the nation at 9,000 seats per night. The 2,000 combined activities of Kimmel Center, its Resident Companies, and its visitors generate an estimated economic impact of more than $585 million annually, supporting nearly 5,000 jobs per year. The Kimmel Cultural Campus’ activity generates more than $7.1M in tax revenue for the City of Philadelphia and $6.8M in tax revenue to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Ewers’ stewardship of the Kimmel Cultural Center’s finances led the Company to retire its $30 million construction debt, increase the endowment by 80 percent and raise $10 million to establish the biennial citywide Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Ewers made arts education a primary focus, securing funding for free education programs for ages Pre-K through high school, reaching 100,000 students annually. During the pandemic, when The Kimmel Cultural Campus was closed, Ms. Ewers ensured that arts education made its way digitally into the homes of thousands of school children in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Ewers is active in the community and in several professional organizations, serving on the boards of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and also as a member of the Philadelphia Women’s Forum; and
WHEREAS, Even in retirement, Ms. Ewers will remain involved in Philadelphia’s cultural community. Notably, she will continue to serve the board of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., a recently formed umbrella company for the two venerable organizations. Ms. Ewers initiated and championed the merger and is now poised to lend her vision and experience as a board member; and
WHEREAS, For her remarkable contributions to the Philadelphia region and its people, both past and future, Ms. Ewers is deserving of recognition, honor, and celebration; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Anne Ewers be honored, on the occasion of her retirement as President and CEO of the Kimmel Center, Inc., for 14 years of outstanding service to the Philadelphia cultural community and to the entire City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Ms. Ewers as evidence of the Council’s appreciation and esteem.
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