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Posted by: Libby Smigel
In a memorial blog post, Senior Music Specialist Loras John Schissel celebrates President Jimmy Carter's appreciation for music and the arts in a selection of letters and photographs from the Music Division's collections.
Posted in: American history, Composers, Guest bloggers, In Memoriam, Special Collections
Posted by: Libby Smigel
The Music Division staff spotlight the Top 5 acquisitions of 2024, including the papers of composers Burt Bacharach and Anthony Braxton, manuscripts from the iconic "Wizard of Oz," records of the Kronos Quartet, and two Lizst song manuscripts.
Posted in: Composers, Electronic Music, Film Music, Guest bloggers, New Acquisitions, Special Collections
Posted by: Libby Smigel
The archival materials in the Music Division's Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Collection are now discoverable through an online finding aid. Archivists Stephanie Akau and Maya Lerman provide a sneak peek into the vast contents of this intriguing collection by selecting some sample images.
Posted in: African American History, Birthdays, Choreographers, Dance, Guest bloggers, New finding aid, Special Collections
Posted by: Libby Smigel
Rockettes dancer Ann Murphy (born in Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1942) danced with the precision tap dance company from the 1960s through the 1970s. Now her photographs, programs, and other Radio City Music Hall memorabilia are available to the public in the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room, thanks to Murphy's generous gift of her legacy materials.
Posted in: Dance, New finding aid, Special Collections, Women in Dance
Posted by: Libby Smigel
Choreographer Michio Itō had a profound impact on the development of modern dance in the United States, with collaborations and friendships with Martha Graham, Lester Horton, and Ted Shawn, among many others. Selected images from a recent gift of materials documenting Itō’s career in the United States are shown here alongside other images available in the Library of Congress to highlight the Japanese-born artist’s legacy during Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.
Posted in: Asian American History, Dance, New Acquisitions, Pacific Islander History, Special Collections, World War I, World War II
Posted by: Libby Smigel
Drawing from the recently processed Barry Sisters Papers housed in the Library of Congress Music Division, archivist Maya Lerman introduces the Barry Sisters vocal duo and their artistic contribution to the development of "Yiddish Swing."
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Jazz, Jewish American History, Special Collections, Vocalists, Women in Music
Posted by: Libby Smigel
Stephanie Akau, the music archivist who processed the Shirley Horn Papers for the Library of Congress Music Division, contributes a brief biography of Horn, illustrated with materials from the collection: scrapbook, jazz performance program, and photographs.
Posted in: African American History, Guest bloggers, Jazz, Musicians, New finding aid, Special Collections
Posted by: Libby Smigel
Dance Curator Libby Smigel gives a sneak peak at the materials inside the newly available Erick Hawkins and Lucia Dlugoszewski Papers.
Posted in: Composers, Dance, Guest bloggers, Special Collections, Staff, Women in Dance, Women in Music
Posted by: Libby Smigel
Announces the completed processing of the Benjamin Garber Papers and Garber's relationship with choreographer Martha Graham.
Posted in: Dance, Guest bloggers, New Acquisitions, Special Collections, Women in Dance