Concerts from the Library of Congress

Special Presentations, Collaborations, and Lectures

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA

NOVEMBER 12, 2012 - MAY 23, 2013
EXHIBITION - The Civil War in America (Southwest Gallery, Second Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 at Noon (Whittall Pavilion)
LECTURE - Music of the Civil War: Battle Hymns and Bugle Calls that Shaped an Era - Robin Rausch, Music Division

The President's OwnMusic in the Lincoln White House: Francis M. Scala and “The President’s Own”
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2013 at 1:00 and 3:00 pm - Coolidge Auditorium

1:00 pm - PANEL DISCUSSION - Music in the Lincoln White House: Francis M. Scala and “The President’s Own” Presented in cooperation with the White House Historical Association

Christian McWhirter, Author, Battle Hymns: The Power and Popularity of Music in the Civil War,
Assistant Editor, The Lincoln Papers, National Archives

Master Gunnery Sergeant Michael Ressler, Historian, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band

Elise K. Kirk, White House Historical Association

Loras Schissel, Music Division

3:00 pm - CONCERT - “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band - Colonel Michael J. Colburn, Director

Before John Philip Sousa there was Francis Maria Scala, an Italian immigrant who was the first musician designated leader of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. Scala transformed the Marine Band into a significant musical organization, which served the nation during a tenuous era and was the principal cultural force in President Lincoln’s White House, proving integral to the mission of the Executive Office as it navigated the perils of a fractured nation. On display will be manuscripts, printed photographs and other special items from the Library’s Francis Maria Scala Collection.

SPECIAL TICKETING for these events: On or after December 1, 2012, please call or email Nicholas Brown, 202-707-8437, nbrown@loc.gov, to reserve a seat.

African American Family (Liljenquist Collection)AFRICAN AMERICAN SPIRITUALS OF THE CIVIL WAR
SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013 at 1:00 and 3:00 pm - Coolidge Auditorium

10:30 am - SPIRITUALS WORKSHOP with Dr. James Weldon Norris
Baltimore City College High School Choir, Linda R. Hall, Director

1:00 pm - PANEL DISCUSSION: “The Legacy of Civil War Spirituals”
Dr. James Weldon Norris, Steven Cornelius (Boston University), and Samuel Perryman (Music Division)

2:00 pm - PERFORMANCE: Baltimore City College High School Choir and Howard University Chorale
African American spirituals of the Civil War era reveal a nation struggling to define itself at a time of injustice, and continue to remain symbolic of the challenge to achieve equality. The young musicians of the Baltimore City College High School Choir and the Howard University Chorale commemorate this legacy with a reflective and uplifting performance.

Presented in cooperation with the Daniel A.P. Murray African American Culture Association of the Library of Congress. SPECIAL TICKETING for these events: On or after January 2, 2013, please call or email Nicholas Brown, 202-707-8437, nbrown@loc.gov, to reserve a seat.

THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

Image: U.S. Army BluesTHE U.S. ARMY BAND “Pershing’s Own” Colonel Thomas Palmatier, Leader & Commander
Friday, MARCH 15, 2013 8:00 pm (Coolidge Auditorium)
Friday, MAY 25, 2013 8:00 pm (Atlas Performing Arts Center)

Two lively evenings showcasing treasures from the Library’s unmatched American musical theater collections. On March 15 the Concert Band plays music of George & Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Stephen Sondheim and others. Later this spring, a big-band evening with the Army Blues – classics by Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Gil Evans, on May 25 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

For more information, see the Full Schedule of Events and Concerts

 

TALKING ABOUT MUSIC

Lectures . . . Interviews . . . Conversations . . . Workshops . . . Master Classes

Enlightening and enjoyable, informed and informal, these events open the doors of the world's largest music library: more music per square foot than anywhere else in the world.

Image: Dr. Barbara Heynen and Dr. Todd DeckerSPECIAL LECTURES

A collaboration between the Library of Congress and the American Musicological Society.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012 at 12:00 Noon (Coolidge Auditorium)
Samuel Barber: Serendipitous Discoveries
    Dr. Barbara Heyman, Brooklyn College, CUNY

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2013 at 12:00 Noon (Coolidge Auditorium)
Making "Show Boat": Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, and the Power of Performers
    Dr. Todd Decker, Washington University in St. Louis

TUESDAY NOONTIME LECTURES, 12:00 Noon

An informal lunchtime series of talks, presentations, and performances showcasing the collections of the Library’s Music Division, and the knowledge of its expert curators. Presented in the Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building, unless otherwise noted. No Tickets Required.

October 2, 2012 - Samuel Barber: Serendipitous Discoveries - Dr. Barbara Heyman, Brooklyn College, CUNY
        (Coolidge Auditorium) - Presented in cooperation with the American Musicological Society
October 16, 2012
- The Musical Worlds of Victor Herbert - Loras Schissel
October 23, 2012 - Great-Great-Grandma’s Piano Bench: 19th-century American Popular Sheet Music From Personal Collections - Sharon McKinley
November 6, 2012 - rescheduled to November 28
November 20, 2012 - The Library of Congress Sondheim Interviews - Mark Horowitz
November 27, 2012 - Cole Porter in Paris - Walter Zvonchenko
November 28, 2012 - The History and Reconstruction of Native American Flutes in the Library’s Dayton C. Miller Collection - Barry Higgins, instrument maker and performer
December 11, 2012 - Recording the Library’s Concerts Over Eight Decades - Mike Turpin
January 15, 2013 - Uncle Tom’s Cabin: A Forgotten American Opera by Harrison Millard - James Wintle
January 29, 2013 - Sister Gregory and The Sound of Music - Caitlin Miller
February 5, 2013 - Pop Music in J. S. Bach’s Germany - Andrew Talle, Peabody Conservatory
February 19, 2013 - Battle Hymns and Bugle Calls: The Music of the Civil War - Robin Rausch
March 12, 2013 - Augusta Browne: A Nineteenth-Century Life in American Music - Bonny Miller
March 19, 2013 - Making “Show Boat”: Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, and the Power of Performers - Dr. Todd Decker, Washington University in St. Louis
        (Coolidge Auditorium) - Presented in cooperation with the American Musicological Society
April 2, 2013 - The Koussevitzky Legacy at the Library of Congress - Kate Rivers
April 16, 2013 - Schoenberg, Nielsen, and the Copenhagen Wind Quintet - Karen Moses
April 30, 2013 - What’s Going On: Issues & Controversies in Jazz - Larry Appelbaum

MASTER CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Free & Open to the Public

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 4:00 pm with the Ron Carter Trio (The Art of the Ensemble: techniques for jazz performers)
Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 10:00 am with Pieter Wispelwey, cello (Presented in cooperation with the Kindler Cello Society)
Friday, December 14, 2012 at 2:00 pm with Peter Sheppard-Skærved, violin
Saturday, March 30, 2013 at 10:30 am with Dr. James Weldon Norris and Baltimore City College Choir, Linda R. Hall, Director (Spirituals Performance Workshop)
Saturday, May 25, 2013 at 10:00 am with Clair Chase, flute

Concerts are prsented in the Library’s historic Coolidge Auditorium, located in the Thomas Jefferson Building (1st and Independence, S.E.) unless otherwise noted. All events are free of charge to the public, but tickets are required, available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.comExternal link) or (202) 397-7328. For “special ticketing policy” events please email nbrown@loc.gov or call (202) 707-8437. Tickets for events at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H Street, N.E.) are available through the Atlas Box Office (www.atlasarts.orgExternal link) or (202) 399-7993. Tickets for events at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE) are available through the Hill Center Box Office (hillcenterdc.orgExternal link) or (202) 549-4172.