Benjamin Franklin Hall, American Philosophical Society427 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PA 19106, United States
Dates/times in New York time zone
| Friday 10 April 2026 | 19:30 |
Programme
| Programme to include: | ||
| Works by Dunphy, Melissa (b. 1980) | ||
| Works by Higdon, Jennifer (b. 1962) |
Performers
| Jessica Beebe | Soprano |
| Benjamin Wenzelberg | Countertenor |
| Martin Bakari | Tenor |
| Randall Scarlata | Baritone |
| Laura Ward | Piano, Harpsichord |
| Suzanne DuPlantis | Narrator |
Lyric Fest illuminates the life of Benjamin Franklin in its latest Biography in Music series. Bringing together great singers, composers, history, and humor, this inventive program includes excerpts from Franklin’s letters, prose writing, and biographical narration. Musically it features both contemporaneous vocal music that would have been heard in colonial America at the time, plus settings of Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac. Completing the program is a world premiere by Philadelphia composer Melissa Dunphy and a newly commissioned work by Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon, inspired by Franklin’s writing.
Individual tickets go on sale 1 August 2025
© Ben Robinson