The world held its breath in 2021 when the then–22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman, wearing a canary-yellow coat, recited her poem The Hill We Climb at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Her delivery felt like a blend of performance and sermon as Gorman sketched her own “American Dream”: “We will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.” She struck a nerve, responding to contemporary anxieties while offering hope. On 11 September 2026, the 25th anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, Amanda Gorman will appear at Lucerne Festival. Together with cellist Jan Vogler, she will shape an evening of poetry and music. Gorman’s visionary verses meet Johann Sebastian Bach’s incomparable suites for solo cello — a bridge across 300 years. She recites between the movements, and at times even speaks directly into the music. The result is a dialogue that, as Vogler emphasizes, strengthens our faith in humanity and offers many surprising insights.

Amanda Gorman

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Sep 11, 2026

Amanda Gorman | Jan Vogler · Lucerne Festival

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