A Maestro for the Ages: Serge Koussevitzky at 150

The Library of Congress is pleased to commemorate the 150^th birthday of conductor, composer, and double bass player Serge Koussevitzky (1874-1951) this summer. Koussevitzky had a wide-ranging career in music, both in Europe and in the United States, but he is most revered for his consequential artistic leadership of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949. During that tenure, he founded what is now known as the Tanglewood Music Festival and Tanglewood Music Center, taught and mentored countless influential musicians—including Leonard Bernstein and Robert Shaw, and became an unprecedented champion for the commissioning and performance of contemporary music in the United States. Koussevitzky began a commissioning program through the Boston Symphony and later established the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in memory of his wife Natalie, who passed away in 1942. The Foundation, along with the manuscripts of works it commissions, was transferred to the Library of Congress Music Division in 1949 to continue the work of commissioning new works, which has reached over 450 commissions to date.

A multi-faceted birthday celebration is merited for such a towering figure in contemporary music history. The Library of Congress, the Koussevitzky Music Foundation, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra are leading national institutions involved in commemorating Koussevitzky’s birthday.

Koussevitzky Archive Digital Collection

This summer, the Music Division published a new digital collection that provides access to a selection of correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and other original material from the Serge Koussevitzky Archive. Over 500 items showcase the depth and breadth of the 200,000+ items in the archive, which is available for research in the Library’s Performing Arts Reading Room. The archive provides countless opportunities for discovery by researchers and performers, whether related to Koussevitzky’s own music  or his savvy as an artistic impresario.

2024 Koussevitzky Commissions

The most fitting tribute to Koussevitzky and his commitment to supporting composers is by awarding new commissions. On August 1, 2024, the Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress announced eight new commission awards for its 2024 award cycle. The annual awards are selected by the Board of the Koussevitzky Music Foundation through a competitive, public application process. The next deadline for submissions is Jan. 15, 2025. Please visit koussevitzky.org for more information.

• Andy Akiho and Sandbox Percussion*
• Donnacha Dennehy and F-Plus Trio
• Ted Hearne and WildUp*
• Pierre Jalbert and the Morgenstern Trio (In Commemoration of Koussevitzky’s 150^th)
• Thomas Larcher and the New York Philharmonic
• Sky Macklay and Project Fusion Saxophone Quartet*
• Kurt Rohde and Brightwork New Music (In Memory of Andrew W. Imbrie)
• Hans Thomalla and ~Nois

*Awarded the American Academy of Arts and Letters composer grant, made possible by the Otto and Catherine Brunson Luening Awards Fund.

This latest class of award recipients marks over 450 works commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation since 1942, a staggering total that is unmatched by any other major commissioning program in the United States. Highlights from years past include Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony no. 3 “Khaddish,” Benjamin Britten’s landmark opera “Peter Grimes,” Henri Dutilleux’s “Ainsi la nuit,” Augusta Read Thomas’ “Earth Echoes: Homage to Gustav Mahler,” Tania Leon’s “Desde,” György Ligeti’s “Ramifications” and countless other works that have expanded the boundaries of orchestral and chamber music over the past 82 years.

Koussevitzky 150 at Tanglewood

The Music Division and Koussevitzky Music Foundation were pleased to collaborate with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the Koussevitzky 150^th commemoration. Curators supported the creation of a BSO Archives exhibit, “Happy Birthday! The Legacy of Serge Koussevitzky at 150,” which is available online and can be viewed this summer on the grounds of Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. You also enjoy a newly released video about Koussevitzky’s legacy as an advocate for new music, made possible in part by support from the Library of Congress Music Division and Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress.

Exploring the Collections

Koussevitzky’s legacy can be traced in numerous special collections in the Music Division, beyond just the Serge Koussevitzky Archive. The papers of numerous Koussevitzky students and mentees are housed at the Library, including Leonard Bernstein and Irving Fine. He is also represented in countless special collections of figures from the classical music industry in the 20^th century, from the Music Division’s original philanthropist Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge to colleague Aaron Copland’s Collection. Visit loc.gov to explore the collections and contact the Performing Arts Reading Room through Ask a Librarian for assistance.

Enjoy this recording of Koussevitzky’s former student, Leonard Bernstein, remembering his teacher on the occasion of Koussevitzky’s birthday in 1974. Recorded at Tanglewood on July 24 or 27, 1974. Leonard Bernstein Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress.

Members of the Koussevitzky Music Foundation Board discussed Koussevitzky’s legacy in conjunction with a concert at the Library in 2014.