Lyric Fest

Friday, April 10, 2026 - 7:30 PM
American Philosophical Society

American Philosophical Society

Benjamin Franklin Hall,
427 Chestnut Street Learn More

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About This Performance

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.

Jessica Beebe, soprano; Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg, countertenor; Fran Daniel Laucerica, tenor; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Laura Ward, piano; Vivian Barton, gamba; Ben Lougheed, guitar; Suzanne DuPlantis, narrator

Benjamin Franklin Biography in Music
Featuring works by Melissa Dunphy and Jennifer Higdon.

Running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes (including intermission)

Watch the livestreamed concert via the video player below.

Help Us Keep the Music Playing

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Special thanks to Drs. A. Charles & Susan Winkelman with support from The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Theodore Presser Foundation, Dot and Rick Nelson, Sid Kaplan, and the American Philosophical Society for their support of our livestream series, and for helping us deliver world-class artistry to audiences around the globe.