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Archive: 2021 (70 Posts)

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Reflecting on Jazz with New Resources from the Library of Congress

Posted by: Claudia Morales

The following is a blog post from first author Kaleena Black and co-author Claudia Morales. It was published on NAFME “Music Educators Journal”– September 2021 issue Kaleena Black is an Educational Resources Specialist at the Library of Congress.  She can be reached at [email protected]. Claudia Morales is a Concert Producer at the Library of Congress.  She …

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Five Questions: Melissa Young and the Many, Many Awards of Roger L. Stevens

Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon

In this week’s post we are revisiting an older “In the Muse” series, Five Questions. In the past, we used this interview format as a way to get to know Music Division interns and contract archivists, but in today’s five questions, Processing Technician Melissa Young talks about theatrical producer and Kennedy Center founding chairman Roger …

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West Side Story: The Creation of a Classic

Posted by: Cait Miller

On November 9, 2021, Senior Music Specialist Mark Horowitz presented a webinar on the creation of the 1957 musical "West Side Story," drawing on materials from the Leonard Bernstein Collection, the Arthur Laurents Papers, and the Oliver Smith Papers to illustrate his talk. Learn more about the history of the musical and how to find digitized "West Side Story" material on the Library's website before viewing the Spielberg's new film adaptation.

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Nicolò Paganini: Virtuosic Rock Star of the 19th Century

Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld

The following post was written in collaboration with Senior Music Specialist Susan Clermont.  The label “rock star” tends to conjure images of modern-day bands like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Go-Gos, Queen, or Led Zeppelin. But if we venture further back into the 19th century, virtuoso performing artists like pianist Franz Liszt, bassist Domenico …