Archive for the Interviews Category (67 posts)

Happy Birthday, Maria!

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To mark the 59th birthday of Grammy Award-winning composer, arranger and bandleader Maria Schneider on Wednesday, we revisit four webcast videos of her time at the Library. The first is a performance by her orchestra: the world premiere of her Library-commissioned work “Data Lords.”

The second was a pre-concert interview I did with Ms. Schneider that night in which the audience had the opportunity to gain deeper insights into the context of her work and discuss her new work “Data Lords.”

The third was an intimate private discussion about her personal creative process. We also discussed some of the treasures she examined in the Music Division earlier that day and ongoing aspirations and dreams in her musical world.

 

The fourth is a panel discussion on artists’ rights in the digital marketplace hosted by Jennifer Cutting featuring Ms. Schneider, John L. Simson, and artist Spree Wilson.

Thanks to the Reva and David Logan Foundation which helped support Ms. Schneider’s residency at the Library in April of 2016.

Two Weeks and Some Change: Upcoming Events at the Library of Congress

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You can’t beat the next two weeks of Concerts from the Library of Congress programming, during which we will offer eight musical experiences that showcase a breadth of artistry and perspectives. Here’s a quick run-down so you can make your plans: Wednesday, October 23, 2019, 7pm Montpelier Room, Madison Building “Diversity and the Birth of […]

Introducing the Music Division’s HNIP Intern and Project

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I am happy to introduce Melinda Gonzalez, a full-time intern working with me through December on an inventory of the Music Division’s primary sources related to Latin American composers. Melinda is here in the Music Division through the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program (HNIP).

Allen Toussaint’s Treasures Found in L.A. Swapmeet

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In 2007, the Library presented back-to-back concerts with two quintessential New Orleans pianists Henry Butler and Allen Toussaint. Mr. Toussaint was in the news recently because his legacy studio recordings, long thought lost in the flood from Hurricane Katrina, turned up at a swap meet in Torrance, California. Toussaint wrote, arranged and produced many hits […]

Introducing the Music Division’s Summer 2019 Junior Fellows

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Each summer, several interns arrive at the Music Division to complete a variety of projects with our collections. This year, we’re introducing them as they arrive, and will share stories of what they discover throughout their time at the Library. This week, we’re introducing our two Junior Fellows, Chloe Hovind and Hannah Reynolds. Library Science […]

Announcing New Acquisition: The Billy Strayhorn Collection

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In January of 2017, I traveled to a suburb outside of Phoenix, Arizona to meet Dr. Gregory Morris and family. Morris is the nephew of Billy Strayhorn and Executor of the Billy Strayhorn Estate. Dr. Morris, a retired educator originally from Pittsburgh, kept the collection in safe hands for nearly five decades. The papers, including […]

Announcing the 2018-2019 Season of Concerts from the Library of Congress

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Concerts from the Library of Congress is pleased to announce the 2018-2019 season, filled with an astonishing roster of artists and speakers. Building on the world-class chamber music you love to hear in the Coolidge Auditorium—which this year includes the Emerson Quartet with David Finckel, the Brentano Quartet with Hsin-Yun Huang and the Tetzlaff-Tetzlaff-Vogt Trio, […]

Happy Birthday Abbey!

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Today marks the birthday of singer, songwriter, actress, and political activist Abbey Lincoln (Anna Marie Wooldridge August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010). One of many singers influenced by Billie Holiday, she made her breakthrough in 1956 with her first recording, Abbey Lincoln’s Affair, and her appearance in the film The Girl Can’t Help It. Though she […]