July 21, 2025
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Dilworth Park will have an interactive art installation that allows visitors to control its fountains by waving a conductor's wand. The project, running from Sept. 5 through Oct. 3, celebrates the Philadelphia Orchestra's role in the Disney movie 'Fantasia.'
The Dilworth Park fountain soon will invite visitors to control the flow of its water jets as part of an art installation that celebrates the Philadelphia Orchestra's role in a classic Disney movie.
Starting Sept. 5, people can step up to a podium near the fountain and become momentary maestros by waving a conductor's wand that controls the fountain jets and the music playing at the park. Big, sweeping gestures will make the water jets burst with energy as the music swells, while smaller motions will create light melodies and spurts of water. The installation will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Oct. 3.
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The soundtrack for the installation features a curated selection of classical pieces provided by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Highlights include Paul Dukas' symphonic poem "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," Richard Strauss' "Don Juan" and Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition."
The creators of "Water Orchestra" chose Philadelphia for the installation to honor the legacy of Disney's "Fantasia." Most of the score for the 1940 animated classic was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski, its former music director and conductor. The fountain project pays homage to the famed scene in which Mickey Mouse brings a broom to life to carry water for him and ultimately ends up conducting the stars and clouds to the sounds of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Center City District are planning the "Water Orchestra" installation with a group of Montreal-based organizations that tested a smaller version of the concept three years ago at the Canadian city's Places de Festivals.
The orchestra plans to have a series of guest conductors and youth ensembles visit the installation for pop-up performances. There also will be a special performance at 2 p.m. on Sept. 11 led by Philadelphia Orchestra music and artistic director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who will be joined by a group of orchestra musicians.
"The idea behind Water Orchestra is to bring the thrill of classical music to the public square, reframing it as an act of participation rather than performance, and inviting Philadelphians and visitors to move, listen, and play together," Center City District President and CEO Prema Katari Gupta said in a statement.
Sept. 5 to Oct. 3
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Free
Dilworth Park
1 S. 15th St.
