The following is a cross-post from the Library of Congress Blog, written by Wendi Maloney and published on March 31, 2017 under the title “Women’s History Month: First Woman Sworn Into Congress 100 Years Ago.” One hundred years ago this Sunday—on April 2, 1917—Jeannette Rankin was sworn into the 65th Congress as the first woman …
The following is a guest post from Senior Music Specialist Robin Rausch. In 1995, documentary filmmaker Marjorie Short was looking for work in Washington, DC, and doing research at the Library of Congress for a new project on historical music performance. Music Specialist Raymond White suggested she contact Cyrilla Barr, professor of musicology at Catholic …
The following is a guest post from Daniel Boomhower, Head of Reader Services in the Music Division. In the eighteenth century mention of the name Bach brought foremost to mind either Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782), the “London Bach,” or to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), from 1768 the “Hamburg Bach” and from about 1740 to …
On Tuesday night the Library of Congress hosted the annual ASCAP “We Write the Songs” concert that celebrates the Library’s partnership with The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, a non-profit organization that handles licensing and royalties for songwriters. In 2010 the first “We Write the Songs” concert was produced as a celebration …
This Friday, April 5, the Library of Congress is excited to host singer-songwriter/composer/musician Gabriel Kahane with pianist-composer Timothy Andres as the two artists present an evening of piano-vocal music that features their own original music alongside that of Bach, Schumann, Britten, Ives, and others. Kahane made an impression in 2006 with his well-known song cycle …
The following is a guest post from David H. Plylar, Producer in the Concert Office. For those who love music and the people who create it, it would be difficult to match some of the perks of working at the Library of Congress. Perhaps the most rewarding, artistically and intellectually, is having the opportunity to …
The following is a guest post from Nicholas A. Brown, Music Specialist in the Music Division’s Concert Office. American composer Nico Muhly’s (b. 1981) latest work Compare Notes receives its world premiere in the Library’s historic Coolidge Auditorium on Friday, October 12 at 8:00pm. Written for violinist Daniel Hope and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, this intriguing …
2012-13 Highlights Include the Songs of America project, a John Adams residency, Music in the Civil War mini-series, Woody Guthrie and John Cage centennial celebrations, and lots of new music, public programs, lectures and films! AMERICAN VOICES is the theme for the 2012-2013 concert season (view a detailed pdf here), offering a packed lineup of …
Tonight President Obama will award the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to the songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and last night the Library of Congress hosted a special invitation-only tribute concert to Bacharach and David in the Library’s historic Coolidge Auditorium. I was lucky enough to get a seat …