with The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Crossing
June 17
TD Pavilion
2026 marks the 250th birthday of our nation. To commemorate the event, Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts has commissioned A Hundred Years On, a new oratorio about the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, by acclaimed GRAMMY–nominated composer Peter Boyer and Pulitzer Prize– and GRAMMY Award–winning librettist Mark Campbell. This exciting world premiere will be conducted by Anthony Parnther, directed by Tazewell Thompson, performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra and chamber choir The Crossing (led by Donald Nally), and feature five renowned vocal soloists: Mary Dunleavy, Meredith Lustig, Eve Gigliotti, David Portillo, and Malcolm J. Merriweather.
Little more than a decade after the end of the Civil War, and on the heels of the 1873 depression, the Centennial Exposition arrived at a time when our country needed a reason to unify and reclaim its stature in the world. A Hundred Years On pulses with the magnitude and sweep of a single day at the Exposition—and is humanized by the moving and sometimes humorous stories of five fictional characters who experience it. Boyer’s music, in the grand American tradition, is exuberant and melodic, capturing the excitement of that day, as well as its darker moments. And although A Hundred Years On is about a specific time and place, its emotional power exists in the universal connections that the work draws to our world today.
Major support for this program is provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support provided by America250PA, National Endowment for the Arts, Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, and Wyncote Foundation.
By permission of the publisher: Propulsive Music
Sole Agent: Bill Holab Music
Showtime 8:00PM
Presented By
Highmark Mann
Artists, repertoire, and set times are subject to change.
All Ages
LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
THE CROSSING
Peter Boyer, composer
Mark Campbell, librettist
Anthony Parnther, conductor
Mary Dunleavy, soprano
Meredith Lustig, soprano
Eve Gigliotti, mezzo-soprano
David Portillo, tenor
Malcolm J. Merriweather, baritone
The Crossing, choir
Donald Nally, conductor, The Crossing
Tazewell Thompson, stage director
Rasean Davonté Johnson, projections designer
Millie Hiibel, costume designer
Sousa "The Stars and Stripes Forever" March
Wolfe Liberty Bell
Boyer A Hundred Years On (world premiere)
The Steinway Piano is the official piano of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and is provided by Steinway & Sons.
No audio/video tape recording devices or photographs allowed.
For more details on allowable equipment please click here.
Program notes © 2026. All rights reserved. Program notes may not be reprinted without written permission from The Philadelphia Orchestra Association.
The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, The Pew Charitable Trusts, or the Barnes Foundation.
