Verso

With the premiere of his first major piano work in more than 40 years, Metamorphosis, Grammy and Pulitzer prize-winning composer George Crumb and world-renowned pianist Margaret Leng Tan are set to debut the new performance at the Barnes on November 8. The performance marries the musical compositions of Crumb with the visual works of the Barnes collection, which Crumb used for inspiration and interaction in Metamorphosis. Tune in for a conversation with Crumb and Tan, as well as Katherine Skovira and Robert Whalen of the Barnes, to hear about the exciting new performance!

With the debut of the Barnes Ensemble the Barnes is bringing performers from around the world into dialogue with its renowned collection. The Barnes Ensemble, which debuts on October 8 and features the renowned JACK Quartet and 20 String Fellows, is an innovative contemporary music collective that draws inspiration from Albert Barnes’s unconventional approach to arranging art. Tune in for a conversation with co-artistic directors, Katherine Skovira and Robert Whalen, to hear about the genesis of this unique music collective.

Rob Buscher of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival caught up with the Barnes’s Kathleen Greene about their collaboration with Yellow Rage, a female spoken word duo, who will perform at the Barnes’s salon-style party Artist Bash: Drivers of Social Change on September 15, 2017. Tune in to learn more!

Jazz musician Tony Miceli (vibraphone), together with Paul Jōst (vocals) and Kevin MacConnell (acoustic bass), combine to form The Jōst Project. Catch Tony’s conversation with Kathleen Greene of the Barnes about the upcoming performance for First Friday at the Barnes, featuring selections from the group’s ever-expanding repertoire including rock/pop classics such as Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King’s “Tennessee Waltz,” and the Beatles’ “Come Together.” Tune in to learn more!

Walt Blocker, Director of the St. Thomas Gospel Choir, and Associate Director Darren Stewart, caught up with Katherine Skovira and Robert Whalen of the Barnes about their performance for the Barnes’s Resounding Voices Choral Series on August 27, 2017. The choir will perform an exciting line-up featuring everything from spirituals to U2! Tune in to learn more.

Artist Mohamed Bourouissa speaks with Martha Lucy, deputy director for education & public programs and curator at the Barnes, about his exhibition "Mohamed Bourouissa: Urban Riders" on view at the Barnes from June 30 – October 2, 2017. Curated by Sylvie Patry, the show explores work from Bourouissa’s first project in the US, which focused on the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club in North Philadelphia and the community’s efforts at neighborhood revitalization and youth empowerment.

Tune into a conversation with classical guitarist Jordan Dodson who will be performing a program called "Resonance" for the next Solo Series at the Barnes Foundation on July 27, 2017. This tour-de-force program will feature world-premiere performances of Stand Still Here by Jenny Beck and North Star by Mark Yodice and much more. In this podcast, Dodson talks to Katherine Skovira and Robert Whalen of the Barnes about the world of classical guitar, his musical influences, and the July 27 program.

Tune into a conversation with Jonathan Coopersmith, Chair of Musical Studies at the Curtis Institute and Musical Director of the Philadelphia Voices, about the Resounding Voices Choral Series concert taking place at the Barnes on June 18, 2017. Hear all about this performance, which includes the rarely heard "Vigilia" by Rautavaara alongside other beautiful 20th- and 21st-century works, sung by the Philadelphia Voices and led by guest conductor Robert Whalen. NOTE: This performance was rescheduled from February 2017.

Tune into a conversation with Erica Hawthorne-Manon of Small But Mighty Arts about Artist Bash at the Barnes on Saturday, May 13! How does what you wear share your heritage or history? Hear all about the night, featuring classical Indian dancer Roshni Tailor, poet Lyrispect, live music by AveNoir, Ikiré Jones men’s fashion line, and the sounds of Worldtown’s DJ Oluwafemi.

Pianist Marilyn Nonken, hailed by The New York Times as one of the great interpreters of new music, talks to Robert Whalen and Katherine Skovira of the Barnes about French spectral music and her SOLO SERIES performance at the Barnes on Thursday, May 18, 2017.

Meg Wise, Executive Director of the Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse in Fairmount Park, talks to Kathleen Greene of the Barnes about Philadelphia artist Virgil Marti’s traveling "Doppelgänger." "Doppelgänger" is composed of two large “poufs”— round, upholstered seating units — that Marti created for “Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie.” You can find one at the Barnes and the other at locations around the city - it will be at Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse through April 10!

Listen in on this conversation between artist Man Bartlett, the Barnes Foundation’s digital “flâneur-in-residence” for the Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie exhibition, Martha Lucy, Barnes deputy director for educations & pubic programs and curator, Jen Nadler, Barnes director of pre-K-12 and educator programs, and a student from Philadelphia's Central High School, about his multi-faceted, multi-sensory work, "We See / We Hear / We Are." Major support for Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Photo by Darryl Moran.

Listen in on this conversation between artist Andrea Hornick and Martha Lucy, Barnes deputy director for educations & pubic programs and curator, about the inspiration, process, and meaning behind “Unbounded Histories,” the first “sound intervention” in the Barnes Collection. Unbounded Histories is made possible with support from the William Penn Foundation and can be streamed on any web-enabled phone as you explore the collection through February 19, 2017. Free with collection admission. Stay tuned for more of Verso: a behind the scenes podcast series exploring the creative minds of artists, thinkers, and performers who bring the Barnes to life!

Since 2012, public programs manager Kathleen Ogilvie-Green has been bringing musicians, art, culture, and community together for First Fridays at the Barnes. This winter of 2017, she's spicing things up with a dance theme. After a wildly successful tango night last January, what's next? Join Kathleen as she takes us inside the home of Society Hill Dance Academy founder Shana Heidorn to talk about swing on First Friday, February 3. Stay tuned for more of Verso: a behind the scenes podcast series exploring the creative minds of artists, thinkers, and performers who bring the Barnes to life.

A former Barnes intern, Alison Boyd, now a post-doctorate fellow at Max-Planck-Institut in Florence, continues her research at the Barnes Archives which recently became accessible to the public. She opens up to Barnes conductor Robert Whalen and soprano Katherine Skovira about how music played an integral role in shaping the Barnes as a tool for education and democracy. Listen in on this informal and highly though-provoking conversation as Boyd draws connections between the Barnes collection and issues of race and American identity. Stay tuned for more of Verso: a behind the scenes podcast series exploring the creative minds of artists, thinkers, and performers who bring the Barnes to life.

For Dr. Albert Barnes, art and music shared the same language. To kick off the Barnes's first solo concert and chorale series, conductor Robert Whalen and soprano Katherine Skovira, co-artistic directors of the new music programs at the Barnes, chat with Barnes Archivist Barbara Beaucar about one of Barnes's first loves: music. Learn about his friendship with renowned classical conductor Leopold Stokowski and deep affinity for African-American music in this intimate conversation. Stay tuned for more of Verso: a behind the scenes podcast series exploring the creative minds of artists, thinkers, and performers who bring the Barnes to life.