Fire Museum Presents: Deepak Kumar Pareek (Hindustani/Ghazal Vocal Performance)Deepak Kumar Pareek is a light classical singer and composer from the state of Rajasthan, India. His music covers a wide spectrum of styles: ghazals (romantic poetry), bhajans (devotional songs), kirtan and classic film songs. Deepak first studied with his father, Shri P.N. Vyas, and later with Ustad R.F. Dagar, Ustad Moinuddin Khan and Shri Mohinderjit Singh. He has also been studying with Khayal classical singer Mrs. Kankana Banerjee, disciple of the legendary vocalist Ustad Amir Khan. Deepak is accomplished on several musical instruments including harmonium, tamboura, guitar and keyboard. He is co-director of the East-West School of Music at Ananda Ashram.Admission is FREE (donations greatly appreciated)

ating the forty-fifth anniversary of his album Sea of Bliss, which has been reissued on Numero Group. Opening the evening will be sound artist Saapato.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Don Slepian, a composer, performer, and music technologist, is celebrated as a pioneer in the ambient and new age music movement, blending classical influences with cutting-edge electronic techniques. From serving as artist-in-residence at Bell Laboratories and Synthesizer Soloist with the Honolulu Symphony to performing at esteemed venues like Lincoln Center, WNYC’s New Sounds, and the Centre Pompidou, his career spans decades of innovation and acclaim. Recently, he has sold out shows at the Philosophical Research Society, accompanied therapeutic psychedelic ceremonies, lectured at Stanford University, appeared on Dublab radio, and is preparing a tour celebrating the forty-fifth anniversary of his seminal record Sea of Bliss. Now based in the Pocono Mountains, Slepian continues to compose, perform, and build innovative instruments, cementing his legacy as a visionary in the field.donslepian.comSea of Bliss

Saapato is the music project of upstate NY based sound artist Brendan Principato. His work focuses on the intersection of ecology and music, using a distinct blend of manipulated field recordings and lush electronic soundscapes to encourage listeners to reconsider their place within nature. He spent August 2023 in residence with the Alaska State Park Service recording bird migrations and the salmon run outside of Juneau. In September of 2022 he was in residence with the National Park Service on Fire Island, NY documenting “shoulder season” in rare and rapidly disappearing swale and dune habitats.saapato.comAdmission is FREE/pay-what-you-can

Book Talk and Discussion on Race, Real Estate, and Education: Inventing Gentrification in Philadelphia, 1960-2020

Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 5-6:30pm, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

With author Edward M. Epstein and guests Jerry Davis and Amy Orr, neighborhood residents and research participants in the book.

Introduced by Julia McWilliams, Co-Director, University of Pennsylvania Urban Studies Program

Author introduction by Elaine Simon, former Co-Director, University of Pennsylvania Urban Studies Program

Co-sponsored by Temple University Press and the University of Pennsylvania Urban Studies Program

Description:

Race, Real Estate, and Education is about the connection between efforts to change K-12 schools and Philadelphia’s transformation from an industrial city into one focused on tourism, higher education, and medicine. It focuses on the redevelopment of parts of West Philadelphia as “University City” during the 1960s, in part through the demolition of the Black Bottom, but also through improvements to public education in the more affluent sections of the neighborhood. Author Edward M. Epstein will be in conversation with members of the community who experienced these transformations and whose testimonies are in the book.

In his book, Epstein outlines the citywide context for West Philadelphia’s remake. He recounts the precedents for University City in the redevelopment of Society Hill. He also looks at 1960s-era attempts to correct the segregation, overcrowding, and authoritarian management throughout the School District of Philadelphia. As the West Philadelphia Corporation, a proxy for the universities and hospitals, initiated gentrification efforts in its neighborhood, the local community resisted and protested, causing the project to fail. The effort was revived with spectacular success, however, with the launch of the well-funded Penn Alexander School in 2001. The result has been a rapid increase in housing costs and a drain in the area’s Black population.

Race, Real Estate, and Education shows how the pursuit of urbanist ideals sometimes deepens neighborhood injustice. Epstein’s exploration of whether Philadelphia’s overall approach was beneficial or misguided presents a cautionary tale.

About the author:

Edward M. Epstein is the Alan J. Lee Director of Penn’s Teachers Institute of Philadelphia. He is coauthor of Race, Gender, and Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations. Epstein received his Ed.D. from Penn’s Graduate School of Education and has taught courses there on university-community engagement. He is also founder of the 40th Street Artist-in-Residence program, which offers studio space to West Philadelphia in exchange for service to the community.Admission is FREE