Jefferson Lives!

“Thomas Jefferson still lives!” is often said to be the final words uttered from John Adams’ deathbed. Bitter rivals in life, Adams and Jefferson came to a mutual understanding of one another toward the end of their lives. These two influential Founding Fathers and former Presidents died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1826, within mere hours of one another. As we celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial, Polyhymnia, an interdisciplinary collective of scholars, composers, and artists, is taking a closer look at the far-reaching implications of these men in a creative way.

With support from an NEH grant, the project Jefferson Lives! is both an opera and an educational program. The opera examines how America was drawn into the Revolution, how political ideas turned into action, and how the impact is felt today. Told through the voices of a modern-day narrator and the ghost of John Adams, Jefferson Lives! will be performed as a double billing with Puccini’s Suor Angelica, with both performances asking what it means to seek freedom within an institution larger than ourselves. A series of lectures and presentations at secondary schools, along with a published monograph, round out the project's educational component.

Jefferson Lives! will be performed at the Teatro Grattacielo in New York City on November 7-8, 2026.