Sunday, June 6, 2027 | 4:00 pm

The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas

6361 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia

 

With a library of well over 200 commissioned works, it’s hard for us to come up with superlatives. We certainly remember the ones that were most challenging, or the ones written by the widest-known international composers that made us all straighten up and raise our collective game. We remember the ones that were most jocular, and the ones that led us and our audience through some dark moments in our collective memories. 

 

But when we think of the commissions that were the most memorably eclectic and full of infectious energy? It would be hard to avoid topping the list with the 2006 work composed for us by Dr. Jay Fluellen, Of Chess, Freedom and Dr. Franklin. This nine-movement work combined our ensemble– in a number of interesting combinations– with a full-throated gospel choir, in a mixture of haiku settings and instrumental interludes that explored the life of Philadelphia’s original celebrity, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and his legacy as a relentless champion of human rights and enlightened thought– all through the lens of his favorite environment, the chessboard. It was unlike any other piece we’d ever performed, let alone commissioned, and we could not wait for an opportunity to open the score again when the time seemed right. 

 

This spring, we’ll set up our game board again and start the match, with twenty years’ worth of experiences at our backs, and an urgent desire to re-examine the very meaning of freedom and how Dr. Franklin’s wisdom and legacy can guide us through the next two decades. Once again, we’ll be joined by Jay Fluellen himself, leading his own gospel choir augmented by young voices from the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts along with Relâche Ensemble in the beautiful and historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in what will surely be another unforgettable and timeless experience.