Marian and Paul: The Music and The Oration Concert

Marian and Paul: The Music and The Oration Concert comes to Settlement Music Hall on Friday, October 16, presented by the Marian Anderson Historical Society and the Paul Robeson House & Museum. It's a tribute to two of the city's most enduring musical and cultural figures, Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson, and it arrives during the Semiquincentennial year.

True to the title, the evening isn't just about the music. The program pairs the songs they sang with the speeches they gave throughout their lives—two sides of the same coin for artists who spent as much time advocating for civil rights and humanitarianism as they did on stage. The music is handled by a quartet of voices: sopranos Jillian Patricia Pirtle and Laurice Simmons Kennel, baritone Renard Golden, and bass Brenton Mattox, all under the music direction of Dr. Jay Fluellen. With two sopranos, a baritone, and a bass, the lineup covers the full range of the classical voice, which fits a night honoring two singers known for their distinct and powerful registers.

There's a local connection here that goes beyond the stage. The concert is a joint effort between the Marian Anderson Historical Society and the Paul Robeson House & Museum, and the proceeds from the evening benefit both organizations. It's a way of supporting the museums that keep these two legacies alive in Philadelphia.

It starts at 6 PM at Settlement Music Hall, 416 Queen Street, in Old City. Tickets are $40.