THE LAST DAYS OF IMMANUEL KANT Premieres in Philadelphia; NY Presentation to Follow
The premiere takes place on Saturday, June 14 at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia.
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 03, 2025
The Crossing will close its season with the world premiere of The Last Days of Immanuel Kant, a new work by renowned British composer Gavin Bryars. The premiere takes place on Saturday, June 14 at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, with select portions performed in New York on Friday, June 20 at St. Peter’s Church.
Inspired by Thomas De Quincey’s 1827 account of the final years of philosopher Immanuel Kant, Bryars’ concert-length work explores themes of aging, memory, and mortality—core elements of The Crossing’s 2024–2025 season theme, Transcendental Idealists. The piece continues a longstanding collaboration between Bryars and The Crossing, which previously yielded works based on texts by Wendell Berry and Thomas Traherne, the latter earning a 2017 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance.
Bryars’ setting draws poignantly from De Quincey’s reflections on Kant’s gentle decline—his shifting grasp of time, repetition of stories, and gradual retreat into stillness. The work is expected to add significantly to the contemporary choral repertoire.
Performance Details
World Premiere
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Saturday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m.
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Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
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Tickets: $40 (general), $30 (seniors), $20 (students)
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Info/Tickets: crossingchoir.org
New York Presentation (excerpts)
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Friday, June 20 at 7:00 p.m.
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St. Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Avenue, NYC
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Also featuring: The Book of Never by Aaron Helgeson, recipient of a 2024 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award
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Tickets: $40 general admission, pay-what-you-can option available
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All proceeds benefit Safe Passage 4 Ukraine
About Gavin Bryars
Gavin Bryars is one of the most influential British composers of the last 50 years, known for genre-defying works such as The Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet. A former jazz bassist with a background in philosophy, Bryars has collaborated with figures including John Cage, Brian Eno, and Merce Cunningham. His Fifth Century, written for The Crossing and PRISM Quartet, won a Grammy in 2018. In 2023, his 80th birthday was marked by major performances worldwide.
About The Crossing
Under the direction of Donald Nally, The Crossing has established itself as a leading force in contemporary choral music. With nearly 200 commissions and 37 albums to date, the ensemble has received four Grammy Awards (2018, 2019, 2023, 2025) and ten nominations, as well as honors from Musical America, Chorus America, and the American Composers Forum. The group is known for curating texts with journalistic depth and for creating new works that engage with urgent social, environmental, and philosophical themes.
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