Ben Folds is set to return to Marian Anderson Hall on Dec. 16, 2026, performing with The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Steven Reineke in a concert timed to the Kimmel Center's 25th anniversary. The show will benefit the orchestra musicians' retirement fund, and tickets range from $69 to $159 plus fees.
According to Inquirer.com, the concert marks the third time Folds has shared a stage with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Tickets went on sale to subscribers and members Monday at noon, with general-public sales opening Thursday at noon, the paper reports.
A Milestone Tied to Charity
The performance is billed as a special event on the official 25th anniversary of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, according to Philadelphia Orchestra/Ensemble Arts Philly. The organization notes that musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra are donating their services for the concert, and that one dollar from every ticket sold will benefit Folds's own charitable initiative, Keys for Kids.
That dual fundraising structure — supporting both the musicians' retirement fund and a children's charity — threads together two causes under one night of music. The program itself, per the same account, is still being finalized.
A Hall With Deep Roots
The Kimmel Center officially opened to the public on Dec. 16, 2001, following a Dec. 14 gala preview that featured André Watts, Denyce Graves, Frederica von Stade, Sir Elton John and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, according to Ensemble Arts Philly. The venue's main concert hall was later rededicated as Marian Anderson Hall on June 8, 2024, the organization notes.
The Philadelphia Orchestra has called the Kimmel Center home since 2001, and its education and community programs reach more than 300,000 Philadelphians annually, including 40,000 students, according to the orchestra's own account of its mission.
Folds's History With the Orchestra
Folds's first outing with The Philadelphia Orchestra came in 2014, when he performed his Piano Concerto alongside orchestral arrangements of his songs, Inquirer.com reports. He returned to the Kimmel Center for a second performance with the orchestra on March 22, 2019, according to a JamBase show listing. Folds has also served as artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, per the Inquirer's reporting.
More recently, Folds appeared with the Philly Pops at a free Independence Mall concert on July 3, 2025, a show that drew a crowd of about 3,500 people, according to presenter Welcome America, Inc., as reported in a separate Inquirer.com account of that night's performance. That evening ended prematurely when rain arrived and Folds broke into Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, according to the newspaper's Oct. 5, 2026, coverage of the December concert announcement.
