Top of page

The Concert Office Responds to Corona Virus

Share this post:

The following is a guest post by Claudia Morales of the Music Division.

On Thursday, March 13, the Library of Congress closed all Library buildings to the public. Within a few days, all public events in March and April were canceled, and the cancellation period has now been extended through May 10. These cancellations are a measure of caution to promote social distancing and to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The events affected include:

  • March 17, Takács Quartet
  • March 18, Tabea Zimmerman and Javier Perianes
  • March 28, “Manuscript Music for Men’s Chorus”
  • March 31, “Japanese American Influence in Appalachian Spring”
  • April 4, Conrad Tao and Caleb Teicher
  • April 9, Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool
  • April 16, The Ballad of Fred Hersch
  • April 17, Bang On A Can All-Stars: Field Recordings
  • April 23, The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith
  • April 25, “The Beethoven Complex”
  • May 1, Flux Quartet with Oliver Lake and Donal Fox
  • May 2, Flux Quartet with Donal Fox
  • May 8, International Contemporary Ensemble with Suzanne Farrin

The Concert Office will attempt to reschedule performances subject to artist and space availability.

We have received inquiries about presenting our concerts via webcast. We are unable to implement that option because many of our artists are restricted from traveling to our location.

To promote social distancing within the Library, Concert Office staff, as well as many other Music Division staff, are teleworking; therefore, if you need to reach the office, please contact us by email at [email protected].

Do you need ideas on how to cope with social distancing? We have a few suggestions for your consideration. This is the perfect time to visit our YouTube channel and revive some of your favorite performances of Concerts from the Library of Congress. In addition, please visit our website and learn more about our online music collections. Lastly, on March 29, you can watch the PBS premiere of the 2020 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Concert celebrating Garth Brooks.

We want to send a heartfelt thank you to all our fellow artists and patrons for their support and understanding of the current situation. We want to reassure you that Concerts from the Library of Congress cares for the safety of all its patrons, artists, and staff. We wish all of you health, and we hope that soon we will be able to go back to our normal operations.

Comments (2)

  1. Heartbreaking but absolutely the right thing to do. Thank you.

  2. Can you send out a separate email with the YouTube concert channel info (and in the title)? I was unaware of its existence; and it would be good to have something specific to keep and refer to. Sounds like a great resource. Thanks.

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *