Mann Center's July Schedule

July 1, 2016 (WPVI) -- The Mann Center is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a lineup of musical performances, movie nights, and the North American premiere of a classic ballet.

July 9th the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will take audiences Back to the Future as part of Movies at the Mann

"We are thrilled to be doing Back to the Future," says the Mann Center's President & CEO Catherine Cahill, "It's a wonderful movie, a classic celebrating 30 years with Allen Silvestri's magical score."

The symphony takes the stage again the following evening with Pokemon: Symphonic Evolutions, which has been called the must-see video game concert of the year.

"This is video game music that has become extremely popular, and the actual music," says Cahill," is now orchestrated for a live symphony orchestra," and she says the summer season features a parade of stars from rock to reggaeton, "from Bob Dylan to Bonnie Raitt to Shawn Mendes to Nicky Jam; the list goes on and on."

July 20th, the Mann presents the North American premiere of Firebird ReImagined, based on Stravinsky's classic 1910 composition "but reimagined through a South African lens," says Cahill who adds that The Philadelphia Orchestra will play the Russian score as dancers armed with larger-than-life puppets bring the mythical work to life, "You will see dancers in costume that look like big birds and you will see other special effects that are flying over the orchestra."

The show also includes the Grammy award-winning South African vocal ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo, "the remarkable acapella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo will be performing signature works that are a part of their own repertoire, but also, we have commissioned some new works for them as well," says Cahill, "it's going to be magical. It's not like anything we've ever done before."

The Mann Center's 40th anniversary celebration runs through September. For tickets and show times go to www.TheArtsinPhilly.org.