Podcasts about coolidge auditorium

SynopsisToday we honor one of America's greatest patrons of chamber music, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, who died on this date in 1953.Born in 1864, Elizabeth was the daughter of a wealthy wholesale grocer. She put her inheritance to good use. In 1924, she proposed to the Library of Congress that an auditorium be constructed in Washington, D.C., that would be dedicated to the performance of chamber music. A year later it was built, and Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress still stands today.Not content with just a superb venue for chamber music, Coolidge diligently commissioned new works to be played there. The list of important chamber pieces her foundation commissioned is impressive, and includes Bartok and Schoenberg string quartets, the original chamber versions of Copland's Appalachian Spring, Stravinsky's Apollo ballets, and modern works by American composers as diverse as Samuel Barber, Milton Babbitt, George Crumb and John Corigliano.Coolidge was an amateur composer and accomplished pianist. Her passion for music and enthusiasm for the creation of new works was all the more remarkable considering that tragically she battled deafness from her mid-30s.Music Played in Today's ProgramIgor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) Apollo ballet; Stockholm Chamber Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond. Sony Classical 46667

Today we honor one of America’s greatest patrons of chamber music, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, who died on this date in 1953. Born in 1864, Elizabeth was the daughter of a very wealthy wholesale grocer. She put her inheritance to good use. In 1924, she proposed to the Library of Congress that an auditorium be constructed in Washington DC, which would be dedicated to the performance of chamber music. A year later it was built, and Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress still stands today. Not content with just a superb venue for chamber music, Mrs. Coolidge diligently commissioned new works to be played there. The list of important chamber pieces her Foundation commissioned is impressive, and includes Bartok and Schoenberg string quartets, the original chamber versions of Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” Stravinsky’s “Apollo” ballets, and modern works by American composers as diverse as Samuel Barber, Milton Babbitt, George Crumb, and John Corigliano. Mrs. Coolidge was herself an amateur composer and accomplished pianist. Her passion for music and enthusiasm for the creation of new works was all the more remarkable considering that tragically she herself battled deafness from her mid-thirties.

Today we honor one of America’s greatest patrons of chamber music, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, who died on this date in 1953. Born in 1864, Elizabeth was the daughter of a very wealthy wholesale grocer. She put her inheritance to good use. In 1924, she proposed to the Library of Congress that an auditorium be constructed in Washington DC, which would be dedicated to the performance of chamber music. A year later it was built, and Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress still stands today. Not content with just a superb venue for chamber music, Mrs. Coolidge diligently commissioned new works to be played there. The list of important chamber pieces her Foundation commissioned is impressive, and includes Bartok and Schoenberg string quartets, the original chamber versions of Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” Stravinsky’s “Apollo” ballets, and modern works by American composers as diverse as Samuel Barber, Milton Babbitt, George Crumb, and John Corigliano. Mrs. Coolidge was herself an amateur composer and accomplished pianist. Her passion for music and enthusiasm for the creation of new works was all the more remarkable considering that tragically she herself battled deafness from her mid-thirties.

May 6, 2015. This annual program, funded by the Jonah Solkoff Eskin Memorial Fund brought together the three living Ambassadors for Young Peoples Literature in the Coolidge Auditorium to pay tribute to the fourth Ambassador, Walter Dean Myers, who passed away in 2014. His son, author, illustrator, Christopher Myers, presented a tribute to his father that opened with a clip from an interview from the PBS Newshour by journalist Jeff Brown. Students in the audience came from Brent Elementary, Hyde-Addison Elementary, Washington Latin Public Charter, John Eaton Elementary, and Alice Deal Middle School – all in Washington, DC, and the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7573

Today in 1925, the Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress witnessed its inaugural concert. On today's "A Classical Day in the Life" learn more about the woman who made the venue possible, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge - a pianist, composer, and ardent promoter of chamber music.

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

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

I am so thrilled to bring you this Meet the Composer Bonus Track! We are extremely lucky to present this recording of Kaija Saariaho's piano trio Light and Matter, taped live at the Coolidge Auditorium in the Library of Congress, just this past May 22 by the world-class ensemble of violinist Jennifer Koh, cellist Anssi Karttunen and pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute. It's lovely, colorful, and you are some of the first people to hear it... after Justice Ginsburg, of course! The composer’s program note is below: "The starting point for the music is light kinetic energy, which is then developed into more dramatic gestures and rapid exchanges among the three instruments. The piece advances in spinning motion, moving from the original luminous fabric into more thematic patterns or towards the inertia of slow choral textures, 11 before returning into the original weightlessness and starting a new flickering spin. As a result, we hear three musical elements–kinetic texture, thematic motives and slowly moving choral material–in constantly changing combinations and orchestrations. I wrote this piece in New York, while watching from my window the changing light and colors of Morningside Park. Besides providing me with the name for the piece, perhaps that continuous transformation of light on the glinting leaves and the immobile trunks of the solid trees became the inspiration for the musical materials in this piece." I hope you enjoy!-Nadia Sirota Light and Matter (2014) is published by Chester Music, Ltd. Commissioned by the Library of Congress Dina Koston and Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music (in honor of the 90th anniversary of Concerts from the Library of Congress), Britten Sinfonia and Norrbotten NEO, and co-commissioned by the Aeolian Chamber Players in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Engineering credits: Michael E. Turpin

Oct. 22, 2014. Justin Kauflin performed a solo piano concert in the Coolidge Auditorium. Works performed include several original compositions. Speaker Biography: Just Kauflin is a jazz pianist. Kauflin began playing music at the age of 6, learning both piano and violin and eventually leading many orchestral groups as concertmaster. Just a few years later, at the age of 11, Kauflin completely lost his sight due to a hereditary disorder. Yet, Kauflin continued his musical ambitions and started exploring jazz piano at the Virginia Governor's School for the Performing Arts. By 15 he was performing professionally, and in 2004 he was awarded a Presidential scholarship to attend William Paterson University in New Jersey, where he continued his study of jazz. He hasn't looked back since. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6677

Oct. 22, 2014. Justin Kauflin spoke with Karen Keninger and John Hanson and answered a variety of questions from the audience about his experience and career before his concert performance in the Coolidge Auditorium. Speaker Biography: Just Kauflin is a jazz pianist. Kauflin began playing music at the age of 6, learning both piano and violin and eventually leading many orchestral groups as concertmaster. Just a few years later, at the age of 11, Kauflin completely lost his sight due to a hereditary disorder. Yet, Kauflin continued his musical ambitions and started exploring jazz piano at the Virginia Governor's School for the Performing Arts. By 15 he was performing professionally, and in 2004 he was awarded a Presidential scholarship to attend William Paterson University in New Jersey, where he continued his study of jazz. He hasn't looked back since. Speaker Biography: Karen Keninger is the director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Speaker Biography: John Hanson is the head of the music section of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6678

Live at the Library of Congress You, Me, Them, Everybody Live 5 year anniversary show. A very special episode recoded in the Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress. A conversation with Nicholas A. Brown, Music Specialist & Concert Producer, Music Division, about the LoC Civil Rights exhibit. A conversation with Susan Reyburn, Library of […]

Barbara Heyman discussed the life and music of American composer Samuel Barber (1910-1981), focusing on how inscriptions and quotations on primary source material reveal striking aspects of his compositional approach. Heyman shed light on recent discoveries including Barber's music manuscripts, sketches and correspondence. The Library of Congress is the preeminent repository for manuscripts by Barber. The composer's Hermit Songs, op. 29 were commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge and premiered in the Coolidge Auditorium with Barber at the piano and soprano Leontyne Price. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5914

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation staged "We Write the Songs" at the Coolidge Auditorium, a night of songwriters performing their own tunes and telling the stories behind their creations. Performers included performers were: Paul Williams, Jackie DeShannon, Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly, Barry Eastmond, Freddie Jackson, Dean Kay, Bruce Broughton, Brett James, Gordie Sampson, Hillary Lindsey, Lyle Lovett and Hal David. The performers were introduced by: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Rep. Howard Bernam (D-Calif.), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Calif.). For captions, transcripts, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5401.

Singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder, the awardee of the second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, premieres "Sketches of a Life," a sprawling, hybrid pop-classical concerto, written between 1976 and 1994. The work was unveiled through a commission for the Library of Congress in the Coolidge Auditorium.