University of the Arts “Voices of the Avenue” Project Brings South Broad Cultural District to Life

PHILADELPHIA (December 3, 2008) – With music in the streets and drama in the air, the Avenue of the Arts has more than its fair share of stories to tell. The University of the Arts is bringing those stories to the masses with its “Voices of the Avenue” project, a cell phone-based audio tour utilizing technology provided by Mobile Yodel.

Launching in beta mode on December 5 thanks to funding from the University’s Applied Research Labs in the College of Media and Communication (CMAC), “Voices” spotlights local artistic talents from student work to big band sounds to poetry and Broadway productions native to the Philadelphia region.

Anyone with a cell phone can hear the “Voices” by dialing 703/286-2628, visiting www.voicesoftheavenue.com or downloading the files to an iPod or other portable music device. Presently, callers and visitors will hear Philadelphia native Julie Slack tell them all about the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame, upcoming events at the Academy of Music and The University of the Arts, not to mention a poem from the University’s Liberal Arts Dean Peter Stambler about Charles Dickens visiting a prison in Philadelphia.

“Voices” can be dialed up from anywhere, but to get the full experience, users should look for markers and logos along South Broad St. that provide the phone number and a code that corresponds to the location. Depending on the response to the beta testing, the project may branch out from its current locations near the Academy of Music and the Merriam Theater on the east side of South Broad Street and in front of the University’s Terra Hall (211 S. Broad St.) on the southeast corner of Broad and Walnut streets, to include upcoming events at the Wilma and Suzanne Roberts theaters and Kimmel Center.

“The ‘Voices’ project allows me to explore sound and move onto a larger stage … the street,” said project manager and University alumnus Daniel Magro. “In a technologically advanced world of attention-grabbing clutter, days can pass without once breaking our monotonous trend. We pass jewels of talent on the very streets we walk and don’t even know it. ‘Voices’ hopes to showcase the talent available around you – the music and sound you don’t hear until you tune in.”

The CMAC Applied Research Labs, headed by college Dean Neil Kleinman, provide students and faculty an opportunity to test new applications, experiment with media used in unconventional contexts and develop business ideas based upon media.

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