SOLD OUT | Sound of History

What does it mean for musicians to be embedded at a history museum? How might art influence practice? How might history influence art? And what does the Revolution sound like 250 years later? As the Semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence approaches, the Museum explores these questions in partnership with ArtPhilly and Black Music City, a collaboration between WXPN, WRTI, and RECPhilly. Two artist fellows have been immersed in the Museum – exploring collections and exhibitions, as well as attending meetings and public programs – using the experience to create original musical works bridging the worlds between 1776 and 2026.

Join us for the premiere of these new compositions, as part of Philadelphia’s inaugural What Now: 2026 citywide arts festival. 

Sound of History is a joint commission of ArtPhilly, Black Music City, and the Museum for the American Revolution for the What Now: 2026 festival with support from America250PA, The Presser Foundation, and the 25th Century Foundation.

Artist Fellows

Laurin Talese

Laurin Talese writes jazz compositions that hold still long enough to witness a life. She treats the voice as a documentary instrument, intimate, unhurried, concerned with the stories that change what we think we know about each other. Her theatrical debut as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill at Philadelphia Theatre Company, later reprised at Geva Theatre Center, drew critical acclaim. A Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition winner and US Arts Envoy in the lineage of Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, Talese serves as Board Chair of Jazz Philadelphia and Board Governor of the Recording Academy’s Philadelphia Chapter.

Zeek Burse

Zeek Burse is a genre-defying artist crafting cinematic soundscapes where emotion, texture, and power collide. A singer, songwriter, producer, and performer, he merges R&B, electronic, and alternative influences into bold, immersive records designed to be felt as much as heard. Most recently, he contributed background vocals on Sam Smith’s single "To Be Free" and appears in the official music video. His global presence spans performances in Paris, Milan, London, and beyond.