About the performer: 

Nia Imani Franklin is a composer and singer whose music has been performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Friction Quartet, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and many others. In 2024 Nia was named the inaugural Composer-in-Residence for the American Library in Paris where she will perform this spring. Previous Composer-in-Residence tenures include Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California and Festival Napa Valley where she was awarded the Darioush and Shahpar Khaledi Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Classical Music. 

Upon finishing her Lincoln Center fellowship in New York City, she earned the jobs of Miss New York 2018 and Miss America 2019 where she devoted her service to arts education advocacy.

Reverberations: 

In March, the Library is delighted to be hosting Reverberations: Literature Out Loud, a festival spotlighting innovations in the arts. In a series of concerts, conversations, and workshops, artists and authors are coming together to celebrate the history of storytelling and sound. Learn more about the festival and discover other events.

Reverberations is organized in partnership with the Opéra Comique and with the generous support of Festival Napa Valley, the American Center for Arts and Culture, and the Florence Gould Foundation. 

Learn more:

In September of 2021 Nia released her EP, “Extended”, which featured an assortment of all-original RnB songs, and her orchestra piece, “Chrysalis Extended”,  which has 3.7 million views on her TikTok profile. Listen to a preview.

In July 2022, Nia premiered her choral piece, “Polaris”, which celebrates Juneteenth having recently become a national holiday in the United States. Festival Napa Valley commissioned this piece and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City performed it live. See a recording.  

In 2019, she founded Compose Her – an initiative whose ongoing objective is to empower women in music. Discover this organization.

Important information: The performance will be in person at the Library only.

Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.