Introducing the Philly Fife and Drum Company
A Revolutionary new fife and drum corps in Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation. Join us as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary!
On 6ABC news…
We kicked off a Pep-Rally on Independence Mall, June 9, 2026. From Action News, “The event served as a launch for new initiatives designed to welcome millions of visitors to the city this year”.
On TikTok… On the same morning (June 9, 2026) we played a pep-rally at the Philadelphia International Airport to celebrate the FIFA World Cup, America 250 and the MLB All-Star Game. A passerby captured our entrance and within 48 hours the video went viral on TikTok with over a half million views.
Don’t you think that the Philly Phanatic makes a great addition to our team?
That same evening…
At the Cherry Street Pier, Orchestra 2001 and the Philly Fife and Drum Company teamed up to present an encore performance of Thomas Whitman’s Say it Loud! (2025) which we premiered three days prior at Fort Mifflin
Major support for A MORE PERFECT UNION was provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from The Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial.
We have added a 12-minute concert set to our programming which includes “The Congress”. This is one of the original American fife tunes published and available for sale in Philadelphia by June 26, 1776. Find out more in the discovery piece “the Sound of Independence” authored by our director, Lois Herbine and recently published in the Journal of the American Revolution
The Spirit of ’76 at the Semiquincentennial Ball, May 20, 2026
A subgroup of Philly Fife and Drum Company, the reimagining of the painting “Spirit of ’76” is now available for hire through Jewelz Entertainment.
On July 20, 2026 we will be escorting the Young Peoples’ Continental Congress to Carpenters’ Hall as we did this time last year. It made the Philadelphia Inquirer Newsletter “Photo of the Day” on July 16, 2025 and we were featured on multiple Philadelphia media outlets.
In the Philadelphia Inquirer on April 27, 2026, prior to marching the Greek Independence Day Parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with Benjamin Franklin! This is Anthony Favara’s first time out with the big bass drum we purchased from Massachusetts.
The Philly Fife and Drum Company is one of only a handfull of professional fife and drum corps in the United States. Since the fall of 2024, the company has performed for America250PA events in preparation for the nation’s Semiquincentennial and is now working with many Philadelphia area organizations, towns and BUSINESSES in the planning and implementing of their 2026 events. This diverse group of musicians, led by director Lois Bliss Herbine, has recently recorded for the Roblox game “Guts and Blackpowder”. Under the Youtube handle “Piccolois” you can view both live performance videos and recorded videos that the members of the corps have made. Our original video of the “Girl I Left Behind Me” or as we like to call it “The Lad We Left Behind Us” created by the first four members has reached over 135,000 views (see video above).
The core (corps) members
Lois Herbine, director & fife major
Andrew Cross, fife
Roberta Goren, fife
Georgia Dimaano, fife
Carrie Kefalas, fife
Sandy Rooney, fife
Penny Soppas, fife
Pete Snow, fife
Steve Thomas, fife
Mark Beecher, field drum
Jack Burdwood, field drum
David Lu, drum major
David Nelson, field drum
Pat O’Shea, field drum
Anthony Favara, bass drum
Ed Boyle, fifer emeritus
The Philly Fife and Drum Company entertains and educates the public through performing Colonial Era music. Members of the corps have performed for opening ceremonies at Independence Hall and readings of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th as well as events held at the Philadelphia Convention Center, the National Constitution CenteR, carpenters’ Hall, The Ben Franklin Yacht at Penns Landing, the Union League and the Museum of the American Revolution. We are based in Pennsylvania but have also Given performances and presentations in New Jersey, Delaware, New York and North Carolina.
To contact us please email [email protected]
Our director Lois Herbine will be happy to respond via email
or speak with you personally
