The Benoliel Art and Culture Series at the Templeton Honors College was established to ensure that Templeton students can enjoy access to the highest quality fine and performing arts as a part of their liberal arts education. Peter A. Benoliel was Chairman Emeritus of Quaker Chemical Corporation and a longtime friend of the Templeton Honors College. With an undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Mr. Benoliel served as CEO of Quaker Chemical for 25 years, served on a number of corporate, philanthropic, and arts boards, and was Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He continued to be an avid reader, a dedicated student of the liberal arts, and an enthusiastic violinist. He passed away in December, 2024, but part of his enduring legacy is the love and generosity he showed to Templeton students. 

“Among my earliest memories is the ecstasy I felt on hearing classical music, followed by the thrill of going to Philadelphia Orchestra concerts at age 7. It was not many years later that I attended live theater – Walter Hampton in The Patriots and Ethel Barrymore in How Green Was My Valley. Ballet and opera performances followed in my adolescent years. I cannot begin to describe the pleasure and happiness that pervades my being as I experience the performing arts – igniting my intellect, touching my heart and exalting my spirit. The purpose of this Series is to afford students similar experiences to complement their studies, thus to have another window on man’s creativity and the human condition.”

Mr. Peter Benoliel, speaking of what motivated him to establish this series

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Dean Brian Williams interviewed Peter A. Benoliel on the Value of the Humanities
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Examples of Previous Benoliel Arts & Culture Events

Romeo and Juliet, ballet presented by the Walnut Street Theatre

Much Ado About Nothing, play presented by the Lantern Theater Company
Fiddler on the Roof, musical on national tour
Magnificat: Bach's Magnificat and Mozart's Coronation Mass, presented by the Vox Ama Deus Ensemble
Measure for Measure, play presented by the Lantern Theater Company
Nina Simone: Four Women, music-filled drama presented by People's Light Theatre
A Raisin in the Sun, play presented by People's Light Theatre

Verdi's Requiem, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra at The Kimmel Center