Penn Museum showcases an eclectic mix of music in summer concert series

In the coming months, Penn Museum patrons can dance, tap their toes, or sing along to an eclectic line-up of musicians under the summer night sky.

The P.M. @ Penn Museum Summer Nights music series, presented by Dogfish Head Brewery, runs every Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Museum’s outdoor Stoner Courtyard. The series kicks off its fifth year on June 18 with El Caribefunk, a Colombian funk, salsa, and Caribbean fusion band. Performances run through Sept. 3.

This year’s lineup features a diverse mix of bands and musicians—offering lively Samba, raucous Turkish fusion, rhythmic Afro-Cuban jazz, and more—as well as American-influenced music drawing from blues, zydeco, and old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.

The Museum’s international galleries remain open, with an optional, docent-led mini-tour in between music sets at 6:30 p.m. Outside, guests of all ages can explore ancient Rome via touchable—and even wearable—artifacts at a Cartifact station.

The Museum’s Pepper Mill Café provides a garden bar, with drinks including a special cocktail of the week, a Dogfish Head brew option, and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as regionally themed light fare available for purchase.

Upcoming performances include the Philadelphia-based multi-ethnic group Barakka on June 25, which specializes in Turkish folk-rock with a mix of eastern and western instrumentation; Casey Alvarez, winner of the Philadelphia Songwriters Project's 2014 Songwriting Contest, on July 2; Zydeco-A-Go-Go on July 9, which combines New Orleans rhythm and blues with vintage Louisiana rock and roll; American- and Caribbean-styled Trinidelphia on July 16; Arabic music and jazz group M’oudswing on July 23; and the wild and wonderful West Philadelphia Orchestra on July 30. 

Late summer musicians include the Newspaper Taxis on Aug. 6, Leana Song on Aug. 13, Minas on Aug. 20, the Jimmy Pritchard Band on Aug. 27, and Animus on Sept. 3.

Concerts move inside in the event of rain. General admission for guests ages 6 and up is $10 and includes Museum admission. The program is free for children under 6, Museum members, PennCard holders, and Health System employees.

Minas