Jul 23, 2025 - Things to Do

Control Philly's new water orchestra this fall

Isaac Avilucea

Mickey Mouse in red sorcerer's robe and blue hat conducts orchestra with musicians holding string instruments on a stage lit with blue light. — Mickey Mouse, seen here in a red sorcerer's robe and blue hat, is the inspiration for Philly's forthcoming "Water Orchestra" installation at Dilworth Park. Todd Wawrychuk/Disney Enterprise via Getty Images

Break out the baton — a new interactive art installation is popping up this fall that puts you in charge of a symphony of spouts.

Why it matters: It's like a Philly-fied version of Mickey's "Sorcerer's Apprentice" — we're calling it our "Phil-tasia."

Driving the news: The "Water Orchestra" installation, which opens Sept. 5 and runs through Oct. 3, turns Dilworth Park's fountain into a musical instrument that dances to the commands of whoever steps into the conductor's podium.

For two minutes, visitors will be allowed to channel their inner Leopold Stokowski.

The intrigue: The installation, conceived by Montréal-based Ottomata and Atomic3, underwent a smaller public test run in Canada before coming here. Check out the video.

It was inspired by Walt Disney's 1940 film "Fantasia," where magical maestro Mickey Mouse dons a sorcerer's cap before animating bucket-carrying brooms while staging a rousing symphony of shooting stars and swirling clouds.

Fun fact: The soundtrack for that scene was performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra.

What we're watching: On Sept. 11, Philly Orchestra's artistic director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead a group of musicians in a one-time performance at the installation at 2pm.

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Control Philly's new water orchestra this fall

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