Top of page

Category: Curators

Letter handwritten in pencil by Leonard Bernstein's then 6-year-old brother. The handwriting look like that of a 6-year-old: large and unsteady. Younger brother Burton address Leonard as "Dear Dopey," and offers "Congratulations on your birthday."

A Gift ‘By the People’ on Bernstein’s Birthday

Posted by: Cait Miller

Nearly 16,000 pages of material from the Library of Congress Leonard Bernstein Collection have been transcribed and reviewed via our "By the People" crowdsourced transcription campaign. Transcriptions will ultimately be made available in loc.gov, and the Leonard Bernstein Digital Collection will soon be keyword searchable.

Acquisition Highlights for the Past Year – a Top 5 List!

Posted by: Cait Miller

This is a guest post from Head of Acquisitions & Processing Vin Novara, with Senior Music Specialists Mark Eden Horowitz, Kate Rivers, and Ray White.   Nick Hornby’s book “High Fidelity” (1995) features an entertaining look at the quirks of people who intensely collect on music. Top five lists feature prominently throughout the work. As …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Miles White Costume Designs

Posted by: Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Senior Theater Specialist Walter Zvonchenko. Miles White (1914-2000) was one of the most admired costume designers for the American stage in the 20th century. He came to New York in the 1930s hoping for a career in high fashion.  While that was not to be, his subsequent work …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

My Irish Song of Songs

Posted by: Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Gershwin Archivist Janet McKinney. Janet presented a Curator Talk entitled “My Irish Song of Songs: Irish-American Identity in Popular Song and Musical Theater” on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 that was recorded for webcast and will be made available on the Library of Congress website in the coming months. …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Coolidge Uncut

Posted by: Cait Miller

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 …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Hamilton Turns the World Upside Down

Posted by: Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Music Archivist Janet McKinney. Last week, October 19th marked the anniversary of the surrender by General Cornwallis to George Washington in the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. The siege lasted from September 28th until the peace negotiations were signed on October 19th. Although the …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

New Exhibit! Chamber Music: The Life and Legacy of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge

Posted by: Cait Miller

The Library of Congress Concert Series (whose 90th season was announced earlier this month) offers world-class chamber music performances in the Jefferson Building’s Coolidge Auditorium. Most Library visitors might assume that the space is named for President Calvin Coolidge; however, it was a different Coolidge who is responsible for its construction. In 1925 Elizabeth Sprague …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Sing a Song of Cycles

Posted by: Cait Miller

The following is a guest post by Music Archivist Janet McKinney and Music Reference Specialist Lisa Shiota. May is National Bike Month, a time to showcase the many benefits of cycling. Today in DC it is also Bike to Work Day, where thousands of people in the metropolitan area hop on their bikes for the …