Penn Live Arts Blog / April 2026

“What I Would Declare”: Conversations and Reflections at the Listening Cabinet

America Unfinished

Last year, as we launched America Unfinished, our 25/26 season marking America’s semiquincentennial, I searched for a way to engage audiences with questions of independence, interdependence, democracy and America’s future. Artists as diverse as Mark Morris, Johnny Gandelsman and Ephrat Asherie would approach the question of what it means to be American at this moment – how could audiences participate in that conversation? Read more...

America Unfinished: Delbert Anderson

America Unfinished Jazz Penn Live Arts Commission World Premieres

Delbert Anderson is a featured artist in our 25/26 season, America Unfinished, marking our country’s 250th anniversary. On April 26, Anderson and his quartet will perform the world premiere commissioned work Beyond Belief, a multi-part meditation on Navajo history and the tribe’s broken relationship with America. We invited Anderson to reflect and share his thoughts on his work and this pivotal moment in our country’s legacy: Read more...

The unparalleled Paul Taylor Dance Company returns with two masterpieces

Dance

“Each dance is a new beginning, a new place to discover”
Paul Taylor

With a 64-year career and 147 works, Paul Taylor (1930–2018) left an ineffable mark on American modern dance. His choreography, which reflects his deep roots as an artist, innovator and provocateur, is known for its overarching architectural structure, musicality and for tackling thorny issues. Read more...

The Final Year of a Powerful Residency

Accelerator Program Dance World Premieres

The world premiere of Losing My Religion marked the last commission in Rennie Harris’ three-year artist residency. As befits his deep roots in Philadelphia, the residency’s final season engaged people across the city, from older dancers who remember Harris’ first impromptu performances to youth just beginning to make connections between the work of professional artists and their own creative energies. Read more...