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Martin Short commands the stage at the Academy of Music 159th Anniversary Concert and Ball

the MUSICMAN

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EMartin Short, guest artist at the Academy of Music’s 159th Anniversary Concert and Ball,

talks about his latest projects and his lifelong love of the symphony.

BY KRISTIN DETTERLINE

96 PHILLYSTYLEMAG.COM

NOTHING SHORT of

WONDERFUL

A symphonic music lover since childhood, Martin

Short brings showbiz razzle-dazzle to the

Academy Concert and Ball.

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98 PHILLYSTYLEMAG.COM

When you think of Martin

Short, a few things come

to mind. There is the

image of the sombrero-

wearing actor riding a

horse in the desert with

fellow funnymen Chevy Chase and Steve Martin in

Three Amigos. There are the Saturday Night Live char-

acters he brought to life, like bespectacled celebrity

interviewer Jiminy Glick and Wheel of Fortune super-

fan Ed Grimley. Broadway enthusiasts will remember

his Tony Award–winning turn as the lead in Little Me.

And anyone who even occasionally catches a late-

night talk show will recall at least one of his countless

appearances opposite Carson, Letterman, Fallon,

Kimmel, and the rest. Yet the common thread run-

ning through these defi ning performances—besides

Short’s effortless comedic skill—may be something

so subtle you didn’t even notice it: his voice.

“I’ll be at the airport, wearing sunglasses and a

hat, and just ask someone for a newspaper, and

The Academy of Music opened on

January 26, 1857, and is the oldest

opera house in the United States

that’s still used for its original

purpose. Known as “The Grand Old

Lady of Locust Street,” the venue,

designated a National Historic

Landmark in 1963 and owned

by The Philadelphia Orchestra

Association, remains Philadelphia’s

consummate hostess to this day. The

fi rst Concert and Ball was held in

1957 on the 100th anniversary of the

Academy’s opening—an event that

Adele Schaeffer, chairman of the

Academy’s board of trustees, recalls

fondly. “I went to the fi rst one with

my parents,” she says. “Generation

after generation, people attend. It’s a

family legacy event.”

The Academy Ball is the primary

event supporting the building’s

preservation projects, and not

surprisingly, upkeep on the Grand

Old Lady is endless. Over the years,

the ballroom has been renovated (its

design was inspired by the Hall of

Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles),

the 5,000-pound crystal chandelier

(PICTURED) was sent to France to

be cleaned, and some exterior

surfaces have been replaced. But

the Herculean fundraising efforts

are worth it, says Schaeffer. “We

have hosted US presidents and

international dignitaries. In the

future, we will continue to be home

to captivating performances and

world premieres.”

“I’m very aware of why I’m here—to entertain and to work with the

symphony, not apart from the symphony.” —MARTIN SHORT

heads will turn around because people recognize

my voice,” says Short, who mentions that he recently

had a layover at Philadelphia International Airport.

“It’s kind of fascinating…. It’s something about the

pattern of voice and the use of phrasing.”

To suggest that Short is best known for his elocution

is certainly not meant to downplay his incredible

achievements. For four decades, he has embodied

the sort of showbiz razzle-dazzle that hardly exists

in Hollywood today. He acts. He sings. He dances.

He has starred in Broadway musicals and one-man

shows. He writes and produces. In 2014 he became

a New York Times best-selling author for his memoir,

I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend.

Short’s singular showmanship means he’s guar-

anteed to command the stage when he appears

as the special guest artist at the Academy of Music

159th Anniversary Concert and Ball on January

23. Philadelphia’s only white-tie gala, the Academy

Ball, now in its 59th year, has become one of the

most successful fundraising events in the coun-

Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads The Philadelphia Orchestra. LEFT,

FROM TOP: Al Pacino; violinist Simone Porter; Jill Scott.

STRINGS ATTACHED

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the Academy of Music.

BY KRISTIN DETTERLINE

try thanks in part to its guest artists over the past

decade, an impressive list that includes Sting, Billy

Joel, Hugh Jackman, Diana Krall, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, attended in

2007. Last year Al Pacino dazzled with a monologue

from Shakespeare’s Richard III and poetry by E.E.

Cummings. But what all of these dynamic artists

share is a passion for orchestral music.

“I’m very aware of why I’m here,” says Short,

who has also appeared with the Boston Pops and the

Portland Symphony Orchestra. “I’m here to enter-

tain and to work with the symphony, not apart from

the symphony.”

Short’s keen awareness of the collaborative

spirit of the concert—and, in a larger sense, of sym-

phonic music—comes from his parents. He grew up

in a small town outside Toronto, where his mother

was concertmistress with the Hamilton Symphony

Orchestra and his father was its president. Short

recalls watching his mother “practice five hours a

day during the season” and, even more impressive,

attending his first concert. “I was 5 years old the first

time I went to the symphony,” he says. “I couldn’t get

over this incredible sound that was happening live,

not from speakers or a phonograph. The symphony

has a really special place in my heart.”

The respect is mutual. “To work with a performer

of his caliber, who will share comedy, song, and dance

with us, will create a truly memorable evening,” says

Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Yannick Nézet-

Séguin, now in his fourth year of conducting the

anniversary concert. “When his performance versa-

tility combines with the outstanding musicianship of

The Philadelphia Orchestra, we will create electric-

ity on the stage.”

Short hopes to bring that same electricity to his

new projects in 2016. He is readying a TV series with

a sketch/variety feel (on which he’ll be both a writer

and performer) that joins NBC’s prime-time lineup

in the spring. He will also go out on the road with

actor, musician, and friend Steve Martin in their

show An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your

Life, a mix of music and comedy.

Short says it’s the breadth of his work that inspires

him these days. “When you’re starting out, the moti-

vation is to pay the rent,” he says. “It’s trickier when

you reach a point in your career where you don’t

have to worry about that. It can put even more pres-

sure on you. My job is constantly exhilarating, but

what enhances that is the variety of things.”

While Short won’t disclose the details of the

Academy performance, he hints that the concert

may include some banter with Nézet-Séguin and

perhaps even the score to Three Amigos. He mentions

getting the audience involved and interacting with

the orchestra: “This will be a very loose, fun eve-

ning…. You want to pull the audience in. I want to

make the concert feel like a party.” PS

GALA GLAMOUR!

As the year’s ultimate see-and-be-

seen society event, the Academy Ball

is a veritable fashion extravaganza.

But for local designers and retailers,

it’s not just about helping attendees

find the perfect dress. It’s also about

ensuring that none of Philly’s most

fashionable ladies show up in the

same gown. Quelle horreur!

Mary Dougherty, owner of Philly’s

Nicole Miller shops, has dressed at

least 60 women for the Academy Ball,

including Midge Rendell and Sharon

Pinkenson, and she has it down to a

science. “Because we privately own

and operate the two Nicole Miller

Philadelphia stores, we track every

gown women buy for the event. We

will only sell one style of a dress for

the Academy Ball or any major event

in the city—even high school prom.”

The sales staff at the Main Line’s

Saks Fifth Avenue take the same

approach. “If one of our clients

chooses something for the ball, the

first thing we do is ask the buyers how

many of those gowns were purchased

by Saks and other retailers,” says

Annette Malandra, director of the Fifth

Avenue Club. “We let the client know

about other retailers and the cities

that have the gown. If there is more

than one dress in Saks, we transfer

the dress to the West Coast until after

the ball.” Some of the most favored

designers over the years have included

J. Mendel, Oscar de la Renta, and

Carolina Herrera.

But some ladies aren’t willing to

take any chances and instead choose

to have a gown handmade for them

by a custom dressmaker, such as Irina

Sigal. “We have designed all types of

gowns using every type of fabric you

can think of,” Sigal says.

But don’t wait too long. According

to Dougherty, some women start

shopping for next year’s gown the day

after the ball: “Sometimes when you

find the perfect gown, you have to

jump on the opportunity.”

The Academy Ball promises Philadelphia fashion at its finest. BY MARNI PRICHARD MANKO

TOP: Sisters Nicole and Gina Longo arrive, followed by Merrill Lynch’s Steve Sader.ABOVE: Scenes from the Academy Ball: Samuel M.V. Hamilton III, Suzette Strayer, Samantha Ohren, and Crawford Hamilton. LEFT: John Paz and Rachel Moore, wearing a gorgeous Oscar de la Renta gown.