On Friday, November 8 at 6:00 p.m., two unique features of the Richmond Library will come together in the form of "For the Love of Bees," a free piano concert by avant-guard composer Anna Rubin.

Celebrated classical pianist Sandrine Erdely-Sayo and actress Pamela Fields will discuss the important role bees play in the life of the planet. As you might recall, the Richmond Library houses an observatory hive of 15,000 honeybees that has deepened public awareness of the environment, food production, and sustainable communities of species not unlike our own. Richmond's hive serves as a research subject for the largest bee behavior study in the United States, created by the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.

The Richmond Library bees have won the hearts of the Port Richmond and Fishtown communities. They are the pets of children and adults alike. When the Carnegie Hall alum and recipient of the French Minister of Culture Prize learned of the bees, she was delighted, especially since she was at work on Anna Rubin’s newest composition written for honeybees. In a gesture of appreciation for our library bee project, Ms. Erdley-Sayo has permanently donated a baby grand piano to the Richmond Library!

The Free Library hopes to use the piano by establishing school partnerships with the Kensington High School of the Creative and Performance Arts and others to cultivate a First Friday music program at the library and empower our teens through the exploration of their creativity.

The Richmond Library is entering its 110th year by embodying creativity, learning, and the arts. We are very grateful to Sandrine, the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Philadelphia Bee Company for their sustained interest and support of the library’s mission.