Concert: Le Monde de Verlaine with Morgan Manifacier & Corinne Penner

Join us as we kick off the 2026/2027 cultural season with a unique classical music concert commemorating the work of French Symbolist poet Paul Marie Verlaine.

French tenor Morgan Manifacier and pianist Corinne Penner have teamed up for an international tour celebrating Verlaine’s influence on classical music, 130 years after his death.

Guests will enjoy a performance of Fauré’s La Bonne chanson as well as other settings by beloved composers Debussy, Britten, Hahn, Poldowsky, Saint-Saëns, and Tosti over complimentary rosé and croustilles.

*Doors at 6:00 PM. Concert at 6:30 PM. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Complimentary chips and (1) bottle each of rosé and sparkling water per table of (4).Non-alcoholic rosé available upon request. Please indicate any guest(s) with whom you would like to be seated when registering and we will do our best to accomodate your party. Tickets are non-refundable after Tuesday, August 25—*merci for your understanding!

About the Performers

Morgan Manifacier, tenor

Praised as a performer who “gives himself completely to the singing” (Unser Lübeck), French tenor Morgan Manifacier is establishing a wide-ranging career in opera, art song, and contemporary music. Opera credits include Pelléas in Pelléas et Mélisande, the title role in Pygmalion by Rameau, Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Sultan Soliman in Zaide, Agenore in Il re pastore, and Sorcerer in Dido and Æneas, among others. He has performed at prestigious festivals such as the Oxford International Song Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and with Cincinnati Song Initiative. He is a two-time winner of The American Prize in Voice, and the recipient of the Duo Prize from the John Kerr Awards for English Song with his duo partner, pianist Corinne Penner. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University and currently serves on voice faculty at Baylor University.

Corinne Penner, piano

Lauded by Fanfare Magazine as a “superb pianist…truly magnificent,” Corinne Penner has appeared in recitals at Seiji Ozawa Hall, Museo del Violino, Sibelius Hall, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. As a team, she and tenor Morgan Manifacier were recently awarded the 2022 John Kerr Award Duo Prize for their all-English recital program at London’s Lauderdale House, and Penner additionally holds solo prizes from the Cremona International Piano Competition and the Kansas City Symphony Young Artist Competition. She is a grateful beneficiary of fellowships and other awards from the Tanglewood Music Center, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Franz-Schubert-Institut. Penner received her DMA in Piano Performance from Stony Brook University and recently joined the faculty at Baylor University’s School of Music.

Getting Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Ave. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark St and the 66 on Chicago Ave. A Divvy stations is located in front of the 54 W Chicago Ave entrance.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Photography Notice

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.