The Associates of the Boston Public Library presented an evening of music, poetry, and reflection marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

Special to the Ties-Free Press

The Associates of the Boston Public Library (Associates) presented We Hold These Truths on Thursday, June 25 at the Central Library’s Rabb Hall, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with an evening of music, poetry, and reflection.

Former Governor Deval Patrick and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer served as special guest speakers, reading from the Declaration interspersed throughout the program. Their readings framed the evening’s artistic performances within the enduring language and ideals of the founding document. The hall was filled with sustained applause at the end of the program, underscoring the impact of the evening’s performances and readings.

The Central Library’s Rabb Hall was filled to the brim as audiences gathered for the eighth annual Pierce Performance Series, featuring newly commissioned music by graduate students from New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, created in response to the Declaration’s legacy. The Handel & Haydn Society Youth Chorus Ambassador Ensemble performed Lamentations Over Boston by early American composer William Billings.

Massachusetts inaugural Poet Laureate Regie Gibson performed an original blackout poem drawn from the text of the Declaration of Independence.

The event complemented the Boston Public Library’s exhibition Declarations: Printing a New Nation, presented by the BPL and the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center, made possible by the Irene Haney Creative Enrichment Fund through the BPL Fund. For the first time ever, the BPL’s eight rare printings of the Declarations are displayed together in a public exhibition on view through September 13, 2026.

Now in its eighth year, the Pierce Performance Series is supported by the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust and reflects the Associates’ commitment to activating the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections through free public programming that connects historical materials with contemporary artists and audiences.

Since 1972, the Associates of the Boston Public Library, an independent non-profit, has raised funds to preserve and promote the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections. The Associates hosts many programs, including the Pierce Performance Series, the Alan Andres Writer-in-Residence and Picture Book Writer Fellowship, the Hundred-Year Book Debate, and the Literary Lights Gala.