Barbara Kingsolver: Partita

ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY PRESENTS PULITZER
PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR, BARBARA KINGSOLVER,
IN CONVERSATION ON HER NEW NOVEL,
PARTITA, AT THE MILLER THEATER,
OCTOBER 8, 2026

“Literary legend Barbara Kingsolver’s next book has been a long time in the making.”
– PEOPLE

“…this patient, voice-driven story weighs the costs of artistic ambition, working-class roots, and a quiet marriage against the wreckage of one blazing love affair."
– The Bookish Elf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (September 14, 2026) – Ensemble Arts Philly presents Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Kingsolver at the Miller Theater on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. for a live conversation celebrating the release of her highly anticipated new novel, Partita. The evening offers audiences the opportunity to hear Kingsolver reflect on the creative journey behind Partita, the evolution of her remarkable career, and the enduring themes that have made her one of the most widely read and celebrated authors of her generation. The author of ten bestselling novels, including The Bean Trees, The Poisonwood Bible, Unsheltered, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Demon Copperhead, Kingsolver has built a remarkable body of work spanning fiction, essays, poetry, creative nonfiction, and children's literature. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have earned a devoted international readership.

Kingsolver is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Humanities Medal, and the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she continues to shape contemporary literature through stories that illuminate both personal and societal truths.

Her newest novel, Partita, tells the story of a brief, passionate, and life-changing love affair, woven together with an enduring meditation on art, beauty, and the choices that define a life. The novel follows Livia Cable, whose quiet life is disrupted by an unexpected call from a former lover, compelling her to revisit the memories of her youth as a gifted pianist and confront the experiences that forever changed her understanding of love, ambition, and identity. Moving between past and present, Partita explores class, artistic devotion, loss, and the transformative power of music with the emotional depth and richly drawn characters that have become Kingsolver's hallmark.

"Few authors have sustained the level of literary influence and reader devotion that Barbara Kingsolver has achieved over the past four decades," said Frances Egler, Vice President of Theatrical Programming and Presentations. "Through novels that explore family, place, justice, and the natural world, she has created a body of work that continues to resonate across generations of readers. This conversation offers audiences a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of America's most celebrated authors as she reflects on the ideas, experiences, and creative process behind her newest novel, Partita."

Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org, by calling 215-893-1999, or in person at the Academy of Music Box Office (240 S. Broad Street). For more information on the Academy of Music's Box Office hours, please visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.

Every paid ticket includes one copy of Partita.

Barbara Kingsolver: Partita
Miller Theater
Thursday, October 8, 2026, 7:00 p.m.

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Other featured upcoming performances include Maria Bamford (October 2, 2026, Miller Theater); Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra (October 7, 2026, Miller Theater); Michael Kosta: Big Dad Energy (October 10, 2026, Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts); The Magicians Table (October 21–November 22, 2026, SEI Innovation Studio inside the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts); and The Great Gatsby (October 20–November 1, 2026, Academy of Music).

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ABOUT ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY
For more information about ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.       

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For photography, please visit www.ensembleartsphilly.smugmug.com.


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