The Month of Moderns: Building a Contemporary Canon

Event Details

Philadelphia’s The Crossing makes choral music for the contemporary moment. Conducted by Donald Nally, the group has won four Grammy awards, and was Musical America’s 2024 Ensemble of the Year. For What Now: 2026, The Crossing will perform four concerts; two featuring a world-premiere composition from Canadian composer and video artist Nicole Lizée (June 6-7), and two showcasing Haitian-American performer and composer Nathalie Joachim (June 27-28).

Joachim's piece is deeply connected to Philadelphia's history, drawing inspiration from Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues.

Each program will be performed at two locations. The first night (June 6 & 27) will happen at Broad Street Love, where you can also experience "Freedom is...," a stunning new large-scale work from visual artist Odili Donald Odita. The second performance (June 7 & 28) takes What Now to Northwest Philadelphia and the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill (8855 Germantown Avenue).

FOR ALL PROGRAMS:

Preconcert talk: 4 p.m.
Concert begins: 5 p.m.

Tickets required; they can be purchased at the door while available.

Runtime: 90 minutes

Project Description

Four-time Grammy Award-winning choir The Crossing, conducted by Donald Nally, brings us four concerts for June’s Month of Moderns.

The first of two, The Laws of Nature and of Nature's God: The People Address the Nation’s Issues (The Society, The Environment, The Displaced), features a world premiere by Nicole Lizée with works from their repertory of social justice commissions.

The second program, Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness: The People Speak from the Birthplace of America (Philadelphia Composers Ask Questions) features a world premiere by Haitian-American performer and composer Nathalie Joachim — a setting of Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues alongside works from The Crossing's Philadelphia composer friends. The Crossing is joined by friend and longtime collaborator, cellist Thomas Mesa.