Soundtrack of Independence
Most Favourite Music
with The Publick Pleasure
A “City Concert” with familiar Scottish Airs, dance-numbers and chamber music, as performed in 18th-century Philadelphia.
May 15-16, 2026
Details
European-trained musicians, American political elites, theater performers, and denizens of the French colonies all performed shoulder to shoulder in an 18th-century Philadelphia that saw a lively and burgeoning music scene after the relaxation of cultural restrictions enforced during the Revolutionary War.
From familiar Scottish Airs to dance-numbers and chamber music, this re-creation of a “City Concert” offers an immersive experience of living history, featuring music from Philadelphia’s stages and ballrooms popular at the time.
Part of Soundtrack of Independence, a collaborative celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Dates & Tickets
Performers & Creatives
The Publick Pleasure
Eve Miller, curation and cello, with performers of Tempesta di Mare
Brian Ming Chu, bass
Julia Bengtsson, dancer, New York Baroque Dance Company
Brian Ming Chu, baritone
Program
In 1757 an advertisement appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette, “By Particular Desire – On Tuesday next, the 25th instant, at the Assembly Room in Lodge Alley, will be performed a Concert of Music, under the direction of John Palma; to begin exactly at six o’clock.” Mr. Palma’s concerts are amongst the first evidence of public concert life in Philadelphia. No less a patron than George Washington attended his concerts.
Many of the earliest concert advertisement in Philadelphia list no repertoire, simply announcing “a concert”. In 1769 repertoire becomes clearer with the concert announcements of Giovanni Gualdo, an Italian wine merchant/musician. Gualdo lists works by Thomas Erskine, the Earl of Kelly, parlor and theater songs, Handel, Arne, JC Bach, Geminiani, and works “composed by Mr. Gualdo” himself.
Join us for a 2026-take on “A City Concert”.
Major funding for Soundtrack of Independence as been provided by a grant from The 2026 Fund provided through the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial.
