Music and Concerts

Nov. 7, 2014. David Plylar subjectivity in Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms in conjunction with a performance by pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard of works by the composers. Speaker Biography: David Plylar is a composer, pianist and music specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7580

April 30, 2016. David Plylar interviews composer Frederic Rzewski and violist Charlton Lee of the Del Sol String Quartet about their collaboration at the Library of Congress. Rzewski received a Library of Congress McKim Fund commission for "Satires," a work for violin and piano. The world premiere was given at the Library of Congress with Rzewski on piano and violinist Jennifer Koh on April 30, 2016. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7572

May 18, 2016. Joining Nakota and Steve LaRance in this performance of Native American hoop dancing are Steve LaRance's granddaughter Shade Phea Young and nephew Quotsvenma Denipah-Cook. Speaker Biography: Nakotah LaRance began dancing as a fancy dancer, at the age of four. During his travels to pow wows, he met a world champion hoop dancer from his tribe, Derrick Davis. Mr. Davis helped Nakotah by making his first set of hoops and teaching him the basics of hoop dancing. Nakotah's father Steve LaRance took him to the annual Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest in Phoenix, Arizona. He earned several awards in hoop dancing as a youth and won the adult division championship title for both 2015 and 2016. He is also an actor and toured with Cirque Du Soleil in 2009. He has been the master instructor for the Pueblo of Pojoaque Youth Hoop Dancers for the past three years. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7561

July 6, 2016. A concert by NOKA, which specializes in songs about Basque culture, gender, and identity. They are particularly interested in songs that use Noka, a familiar form of address historically used in speaking to a girl or woman in whom one had konfiantza or trust. Speaker Biography: NOKA is a trio composed of Andréa Bidart, Begoña Echeverria, and Cathy Petrissans, the daughters and granddaughters of Basque immigrants who grew up together in Chino, California. They are members of the Chino Basque club and were raised speaking and singing in Basque. In 1997, they formed the singing trio NOKA and have since recorded three albums and toured internationally. In this concert they are joined by Mikel Markez a poet, singer, and songwriter from Errenteria, Gipuzkoa, Spain. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7502

July 21, 2016. A concert by the Ingramettes, one of Virginia's premier gospel ensembles. The family Gospel group was founded in the 1960s in Richmond, Virginia by the late Maggie Ingram. This is the group's first performance without her. This performance includes singers Rev. Almeta Ingram-Miller (Ingram's daughter), Cheryl Maroney Beaver (Ingram's granddaughter), Carrie Ann Jackson, and background vocalist LeChelle Johnson. The musicians are Calvin "Kool Aid" Curry (bass), Kenneth Heath (keyboards) and Randall Kort (percussionist). Speaker Biography: For more than five decades, the Ingramettes have been bringing their music and ministry to congregations in the Tidewater and Piedmont areas of Virginia. Their commanding, spirit-filled performances demonstrate the extraordinary depth of talent in American gospel music. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7503

April 20, 2016. A performance by internationally acclaimed "Queen of Romani Songs", Esma Redžepova. During this Homegrown concert, Sani Rifati led an informal participatory dance. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7442

May 6, 2016. This Homegrown concert with Soumya Chakraverty and Devapriya Nayak featured the usage of traditional Hindu string and percussion instruments. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7443

Oct. 16, 2015. Composer Michael Hersch and Kay Redfield Jamison of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine discussed the role of mood disorders in poetry, as well as Hersch's Library of Congress commission "Carrion-Miles to Purgatory." For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7437

March 31, 2016. Dakin Hart discussed Martha Graham and Isamu Noguchi's explorations of the archetypal spaces of myth, including the American west, the Minotaur's labyrinth and the "cave of the heart." Speaker Biography: Dakin Hart is a senior curator at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, New York. He previously served as an independent curator and researcher, assistant director of the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, and has organized a retrospective of Davi Det Hompson that was on view at the ZieherSmith Gallery in New York. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7426

July 7, 2016. The 86-year-old Malawian musician, Giddes Chalamanda, performed his music for the first time in America at the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7441

Feb. 11, 2016. Ted Gioia discussed the history of love songs in the human experience, ranging from ancient civilizations to current popular culture. Speaker Biography: Ted Gioia is an acclaimed author whose books include "Love Songs: The Hidden History," "How to Listen to Jazz," and "The History of Jazz." He served as founding president, editor, and resident blogger for jazz.com, and is a recipient of the ASCA-Deems Taylor Award. His book "Delta Blues" was one of the 100 most notable books of 2008, according to the New York Times. Gioia is also a jazz pianist and had a distinguished career in business and finance. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7427

April 1, 2016. Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg discusses his career and his Library of Congress/Martha Graham Dance Company co-commission, "Woodland," with Nicholas Brown. Set "Notturno for strings and harp" by Irving Fine, "Woodland" was commissioned for the 90th anniversary season of "Concerts from the library of Congress." Part of the "Martha Graham at the Library" Festival and presented in association with the Embassy of Sweden and Swedish Arts Council. Speaker Biography: Pontus Lidberg is a Swedish choreographer, filmmaker and dancer. His dance works have been performed by ensembles such as Pontus Lidberg Dance, the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, Balletboyz, SemperOper Ballet Dresden and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. His film, "Labyrinth Within," was named Best Picture at Lincoln Center's "Dance on Camera" Festival. Speaker Biography: Nicholas Brown is a specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7411

Jan. 23, 2015. Anne McLean discussed the history of the Concerts from the Library of Congress series, which has included concerts, lectures, symposia, and major radio broadcast projects since 1925. The lecture also provided an overview of the 90th anniversary season of the series. Speaker Biography: Anne McLean is a senior producer for concerts and special projects in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7408

May 19, 2016. As part of EU Month of Culture, Leonard Schmieding discusses the influence and role of hip hop music and culture in East Germany during the Cold War with Nicholas Brown. Speaker Biography: Leonard Schmieding, Ph.D, is a DAAD, Visiting Researcher, BMW Center for German and European Studies, Georgetown University. He has also served as a research fellow at the German Historical Institute. He studied History, American Studies, and English in Freiburg im Breisgau, Bloomington (Indiana), and Leipzig. In 2011, he received his PhD in History from the University of Leipzig. His dissertation on hip-hop culture in the German Democratic Republic between 1983 and 1990 was awarded the Rolf-Kentner-Prize of the Heidelberg Center for American Studies for the best dissertation in the field of American Studies in 2012. Speaker Biography: Nicholas Brown is a specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7410

April 2, 2016. Conductor Aaron Sherber of the Martha Graham Dance Company and Library staff discuss the art of composing for dance, as reflected in Library of Congress dance commissions and collections. Part of the Martha Graham at the Library festival, which featured performances of works by Martha Graham and Pontus Lidberg. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7399

April 15, 2016. Composer Maria Schneider discusses her Library of Congress commission, "Data Lords," with Larry Appelbaum of the Music Division. "Data Lords," made possible by the Reva and David Logan Foundation, was premiered at the Library by the Maria Schneider Orchestra on April 15, 2016. Speaker Biography: Maria Schneider is an award-winning jazz composer and big band leader. She has received multiple Grammy awards, including the 2016 award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album (for "The Thompson Fields," a collaboration with David Bowie). Schneider has received commissions from the Library of Congress, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others. Her album, "Concert in the Garden" (2004), was the first recording to receive a Grammy after being released solely online. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7401

March 11, 2016. An interview with composer Brian Ferneyhough and conductor James Baker about the composer's Library of Congress commission, "Contraccolpi," which was premiered by the Talea Ensemble in the Coolidge Auditorium on March 11, 2016. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7397

April 19, 2016. Abdullah Ibrahim talks with Larry Appelbaum about jazz as part of the Library of Congress Jazz Scholars program. Speaker Biography: A onetime protege of Duke Ellington, Abdullah Ibrahim has become a cultural icon in his native South Africa, through his commitment to expanding music education opportunities and developing the nation's unique jazz scene. Ibrahim served as an inaugural Library of Congress Jazz Scholar during the 2015-2016 concert season, presented in association with the Reva and David Logan Foundation. Speaker Biography: Larry Appelbaum is a reference specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7374

April 22, 2016. Abdullah Ibrahim talks with Dan Morgenstern about jazz as part of the Library of Congress Jazz Scholars program. Speaker Biography: A onetime protege of Duke Ellington, Abdullah Ibrahim has become a cultural icon in his native South Africa, through his commitment to expanding music education opportunities and developing the nation's unique jazz scene. Ibrahim served as an inaugural Library of Congress Jazz Scholar during the 2015-2016 concert season, presented in association with the Reva and David Logan Foundation. Speaker Biography: Jazz guru Dan Morgenstern is legendary for his jazz criticism and scholarship. As the former editor of "DownBeat" magazine, Morgenstern's work set the bar for contemporary jazz studies. Morgenstern served as an inaugural Library of Congress Jazz Scholar during the 2015-2016 concert season, presented in association with the Reva and David Logan Foundation. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7371

Nov. 17, 2015. James Wintle discusses Elizabethan poetry and music in the collections of the Library's Music Division. This pre-concert lecture was presented in conjunction with a concert featuring mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, lutenist Thomas Dunford, and keyboardist Jonathan Cohen. Speaker Biography: James Wintle is a music reference specialist at the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7367

April 1, 2016. Anne McLean leads a discussion with Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg and the Martha Graham Dance Company's artistic director Janet Eilber. Lidberg received a dance commission from the Library of Congress and Martha Graham Dance Company, which resulted in the work "Woodland," set to the Notturno for strings and harp by Irving Fine. Eilber discusses the long and storied history of the Martha Graham Dance Company, and its ongoing relationship with the Library of Congress, which commissioned "Appalachian Spring." For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7370

April 12, 2016. Jazz composer and bandleader Maria Schneider is be joined by singer-songwriter Spree Wilson and music industry veteran John L. Simson for a panel discussion on the linkage between artists' rights and the digital-music marketplace. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7355

April 21, 2016. Carol Silverman discussed the phenomenon of Balkan "Gypsy" music. In the last 20 years, the music has exploded in popularity, becoming a staple at world music festivals and dance clubs throughout the U.S. and Western Europe. At the same time, thousands of Balkan Roma (the ethnic group frequently referred to as "Gypsies") have emigrated westward due to deteriorating living conditions, and entrenched stereotypes have arisen amidst deportations and harassment. Speaker Biography: Carol Silverman is professor of cultural anthropology and folklore at the University of Oregon. She has done research with Roma for more than 25 years in the Balkans, Western Europe and the US. Her work explores the intersection of politics, music, human rights, gender and state policy with a focus on issues of representation. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7348

Feb. 9, 2016. Ever wonder how the Library of Congress captures popular culture? One way is through archiving boy band memorabilia. The Library's collections are a hidden trove of books and music related to popular male groups, from the throwback version of barbershop quartets, to recent phenomena like One Direction and the Backstreet Boys. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7328

Oct. 1, 2015. Examples of Appalachian traditional music, with demonstrations from African and Appalachian musicians. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7331

March 23, 2016. A concert featuring the Cheick Hamala Diabate Ensemble. Speaker Biography: Cheick Hamala Diabate is a West African historian in the griot tradition, a sought after performer, lecturer, storyteller and choreographer. Diabate was born into a griot family in Kita, Mali. In West African tradition, the griot is a male troubadour-historian whose hereditary role is to preserve and share the history, genealogy and oral traditions of his people, as well as providing advice and practicing diplomacy. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7335

Nov. 16, 2016. Debussy scholar Marie Rolf discusses some of the Library's materials related to the French composer, with a particular focus on two lesser-known songs: "Rondel chinois" and "Seguidille," the latter of which was recently published for the first time in an edition edited by Rolf. Speaker Biography: Dr. Marie Rolf is senior associate dean of graduate studies and professor of music theory at Eastman School of Music. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7312

March 16, 2016. Through recordings, images, and new research, Elijah Wald explores the world that shaped Bob Dylan and his music, as well as the varied worlds of the people who loved him, hated him, ignored him or felt he was betraying them, seeking to understand both the changes happening in that moment and the reasons some people found those changes so threatening. Speaker Biography: Elijah Wald is a musician, historian and writer. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7295

Feb. 20, 2016. Conductor Harry Christophers and composer Gabriela Lena Frank discuss the bicentennial of the Handel and Haydn Society, as well as Frank's Library of Congress co-commission, "My Angel, His Name Is Freedom." Speaker Biography: Harry Christophers CBE is the artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society, one of the preeminent American period instrumental and vocal ensembles. He is also founder and conductor of the British vocal ensemble The Sixteen and a frequent guest conductor for orchestras, vocal ensembles and opera around the world. Speaker Biography: American composer Gabriela Lena Frank was born in Berkeley, California to a mother of mixed Peruvian/Chinese ancestry and a father of Lithuanian/Jewish descent, Frank explores her multicultural heritage most ardently through her compositions. Inspired by the works of Bela Bartok and Alberto Ginastera, has travelled extensively throughout South America, and her pieces reflect and refract her studies of Latin-American folklore, incorporating poetry, mythology and native musical styles into a western classical framework that is uniquely her own. She writes challenging idiomatic parts for solo instrumentalists, vocalists, chamber ensembles and orchestras. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7298

Nov. 17, 2015. International touring artists Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Dunford, and Jonathan Cohen discuss their collaborations and repertoire interests. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7287

Jan. 30, 2016. Dance historian Graham Christian discussed his new book, "The Playford Assembly," a major new collection of historic English dances published by the Country Dance and Song Society in celebration of its centennial year. Christian's talk will be enhanced by demonstrations of the dances by CDSS dancers and musicians. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7280

Sep. 9, 2015. In celebration of the legacy of the pioneering old-time musician Ola Belle Reed (1916-2002), Reed's son Dave Reed, her nephew Hugh Campbell and members of the acclaimed bluegrass band Danny Paisley and Southern Grass gather to perform bluegrass and gospel songs of their Appalachian heritage. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7270

Nov. 19, 2015. Cleveland ensemble Apollo's Fire showcases "The Power of Love" in a concert of operatic and instrumental music of Handel and Vivaldi. Under the direction of Jeannette Sorrell, soprano Amanda Forsythe joins the ensemble in a rich garden of musical flowers, culminating in Sorrell's own arrangement of Vivaldi's "La Folia." For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7269

Jan. 20, 2016. A discussion about the Marlboro Music Festival, Musicians from Marlboro, and the longtime relationship between the Freer Gallery and the Library of Congress, featuring the Smithsonian's Michael Wilpers, Anne McLean of the Library of Congress, cellist Marcy Rosen, violinist David McCarroll, and violinist Emilie-Anne Gendron. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7252

April 16, 2015. The first part of a three-day symposium that explores Alan Lomax's contributions to dance research and theory. This event features pioneer choreometrics scholars Meriam Lobel and Forrestine Paulay interviewed by University of Maryland faculty member Miriam Phillips. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7250

Jan. 16, 2016. Cellist Alban Gerhardt and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott discuss their chamber music collaborations with Nicholas Brown following a performance in the Coolidge Auditorium. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7244

Dec. 2, 2015. Cultural historian and author Peter Guralnick spoke with art journalist Geoffrey Himes about his latest book, a biography of Sam Phillips, a pivotal figure in the history of 20th-century American music of many stripes. Owner of the small but powerful Sun Records Label in Memphis, Phillips was a major force in kick-starting the careers of Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Cash, Ike Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley, among others. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7231

Nov. 4, 2015. A conversation with Bach guru Masaaki Suzuki after his critically-acclaimed Bach Collegium Japan performed at the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7232

April 18, 2013. Top American instrument makers talk about the impressive results of a recent project to use modern technologies to copy the Library's superb Betts violin, from the Golden Period of master instrument maker Antonio Stradivari. Also, the debut performance of the Oberlin Betts violin, in comparison with the original Betts Stradivari violin, featuring violinists Claudia Chudacoff and Christopher Franke. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7236

Nov. 7, 2015. Characterized by virtuosity, musicality and intensity of feeling, the Michelangelo String Quartet was formed in 2002 by artists already distinguished as both soloists and chamber musicians. The group shares a passion for the quartet repertoire that brings them together for a few dates each season, with engagements at the Concertgebouw, Théâtre des Champs Elysées and Zürich's Tonhalle. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7204

Sep. 25, 2015. Tom Harvey discusses the music from the collections of Alan Lomax with The Down Hill Strugglers and John Cohen, who play traditional American music they have learned directly from the collections at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7205

Oct. 31, 2015. The exceptional performance of Pomerium takes its inspiration from the renowned chapel choirs of the Renaissance, reviving the golden age of a cappella singing. This concert featured a few early blooms from this repertoire, drawn from the Library's impressive holdings of rare imprints by these masters. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7192

Oct. 30, 2015. A pre-concert panel discussion featuring Jane Chu, Margaret Lioi and Astrid Schween. Speaker Biography: Jane Chu is Chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Speaker Biography: Margaret Lioi is CEO of Chamber Music America. Speaker Biography: Astrid Schween is cellist with the Juilliard String Quartet. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7195

Oct. 24, 2015. Composer Paul Lansky is joined by Jack Marquardt and Tracy Jacobson of WindSync to discuss Lansky's "The Long and Short of It," a Library of Congress commission for woodwind quintet. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7197

Oct. 30, 2015. The visionary artist Meredith Monk's groundbreaking exploration of the voice as an instrument expands the boundaries of musical composition, creating landscapes of sound that unearth feelings, energies, and memories for which there are no words. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7188

June 1, 2015. On June 1, 2015, Machito's son, Mario Grillo, donated Machito's handwritten scores and arrangements to the Library of Congress. Grillo discusses his father's contributions to American music. Speaker Biography: Mario Grill is a percussionist and bandleader. Speaker Biography: Larry Appelbaum is senior music reference specialist in the Music Division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7182

Dec. 9, 2015. Violinist Jani Lehtonen speaks about a significant arrangement for violin and piano that Fritz Kreisler made of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, despite the fact that Sibelius had already prepared one. Lehtonen explores the differences between the versions and advocates for Kreisler's unique contribution. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7162

Oct. 6, 2015. Gabriel Muñoz performed the Puerto Rican cuatro and discussed a brief history of the instrument and music. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7149

Sep. 25, 2015. The Down Hill Strugglers and John Cohen played traditional American music they have learned directly from the amazing collections at the American Folklife Center (AFC) at the Library of Congress. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7122

April 10, 2014. A conversation with composers Pierre Jalbert and Jörg Widmann, plus two performers with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7120

March 21, 2014. Violinist Joan Kwuon leads a quartet of distinguished world-class players from the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music. The program featured Mozart's Piano Quartet in G minor, K. 478 and Brahms' Piano Quartet no. 1 in G minor, op. 25. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7111