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Category: Gershwin Prize for Popular Song

Dr. Carla Hayden and Tony Bennett pose onstage with the Gershwin Prize.

Remembering Tony Bennett, Gershwin Prize Winner

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Tony Bennett, the Gershwin Prize-winning singer who knew his way around torch ballads, jazz standards and just about every nook and cranny of the Great American Songbook, has passed away at 96. He dazzled and charmed everyone at his Gershwin Prize concert in 2017 and we won't forget him, his grace and his impeccable touch with a song, anytime soon

Posted in: Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Music, Performing Arts

Joni Mitchell and Carla Hayden on stage, each seated, in conversation.

Joni Mitchell’s Conversation in the Library

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

The Library wrapped up its tribute to Joni Mitchell on a high note last week with a conversation between the 2023 Gershwin Prize winner and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. In an exchange punctuated by laughter and ending in song, Mitchell detailed her unexpected evolution as a musical pathbreaker. The article contains a link to a video of the conversation.

Posted in: Concerts, Events, Gazette, Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Music, Performing Arts, Women's History

Joni Mitchell holds her arms out onstage, accepting applause, while Carla Hayden stands to the right, also applauding

Joni Mitchell’s Gershwin Prize Concert Showcases Her Music and Influence

Posted by: Mark Hartsell

The Library of Congress on Wednesday bestowed its Gershwin Prize for Popular Song on Joni Mitchell, the singer-songwriter best known for such 1970s classics as “Both Sides Now,” “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Help Me.” The celebratory concert included performances by Annie Lennox, Graham Nash, James Taylor, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Krall, Angélique Kidjo, Ledisi, Lucius and modern folkies Brandi Carlile and Marcus Mumford. It will air on PBS stations on March 31.

Posted in: Events, Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Library Work and Employees, Music, Performing Arts, Writers

Burt Bacharach, in a suit and tie, holds a microphone while speaking on stage. A red screen in the background announces his acceptance as Gershwin Prize honoree.

Burt Bacharach, Gershwin Prize Winner: A Fond Farewell

Posted by: Neely Tucker

The Library’s Mark Hartsell, in the Communications Office, and Mark Horowitz, in the Music Division, contributed to this post. Burt Bacharach, the elegant songwriter and composer whose lifetime of work the Library honored with the 2012 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, died yesterday in Los Angeles. He was 94. Bacharach’s iconic career stretched for more than …

Posted in: Concerts, Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Music, Performing Arts

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

My Job: Mark Horowitz, from Broadway to the Beltway

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

Mark Horowitz, a senior specialist in the Music Division's acquisitions and processing section, tells us about his job in acquiring and preserving some of the most famous works in American musical theater. Among other high-profile projects, he's worked with Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda and has an upcoming book on his research into the papers of Oscar Hammerstein.

Posted in: Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Music, My Job