Performing Arts at the Library of Congress

07/31/2026

Today we celebrate Senior Music Specialist Raymond A. White, who has served the American people through the Music Division for over 44 years. Ray is retiring from the Library of Congress and we are grateful for his dedication, leadership, and kindness. He has mentored generations of Music Division colleagues, influenced our profession, served as curator of the George and Ira Gershwin Collection, and been an esteemed colleague to many around the world. Thank you, Ray!

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2026/07/ray-white-retires-after-a-quick-44-5-years/?loclr=fbmus

Image: Ray White, July 23, 2026, by Shawn Miller

07/29/2026

We're loving the buzz about the Hadestown film! Did you know the Library holds a collection of materials from the show's development, donated by Anaïs Mitchell and the producers in 2023? They're available for research in the Performing Arts Reading Room and include handwritten lyric sketches, Anaïs' voice memos, and the 1950 Gibson guitar Orpheus used in the London, pre-Broadway production.

https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/materials-from-the-musical--hadestown--added-to-library-of-congress-collections/s/a2b615d6-70c7-4e38-b8b4-3f2db75eadfc?loclr=fbmus

Image: Anaïs Mitchell and Peter Marks of The Washington Post in conversation in the Coolidge Auditorium on Oct. 17, 2023. Photo credit: Elaina Finkelstein

07/28/2026

Teaser Tuesday: On this day 50 years ago, Leslie Bricusse was in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France working with actor, director, and writer Lionel Jeffries on a musical adaptation of Jean Giradoux's Ondine. The inside covers of Bricusse's music and lyric sketchbooks give a colorful glimpse of the various projects he was working on within that particular volume. In July of 1976 he was also working on a stage adaption of Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
https://lccn.loc.gov/2018571972?loclr=fbmus
Inside cover of volume 13 of Leslie Bricusse's music and lyric notebooks. Leslie Bricusse Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress.

07/27/2026

Cynthia Erivo and Michael Feinstein are featured at this year's National Book Festival on Saturday, August 22, 2026! The Music Division is pleased to collaborate with the Library's Literary Initiatives team to bring these fabulous artists to the beloved annual literary event. Learn more: http://loc.gov/bookfest?loclr=fbmus

07/24/2026

We are excited to co-host the Access/VSA showcase tonight at 6pm!

On Friday, July 24, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts/VSA program will present the International Young Musicians Program in collaboration with the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) and the Music Division of the Library of Congress.
The Access/VSA International Network program is an initiative that creates opportunities in arts, education and career development for people with disabilities. It was founded in 1974 to break down barriers and ensure that individuals of all ages have equal access to the arts, professional development and international competitions.
Acclaimed jazz pianist and NLS patron Justin Kauflin will serve as both master of ceremonies and pianist.
The program will also feature
• Valentina Koehler, vocalist
• Jadyn Thompson, soprano
• Carter Doolittle, alto saxophone
• Dennis Fleitz, cello
The concert is at 6 p.m. Friday in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. Get a free ticket at www.etix.com/ticket/p/40227190.
To read the concert program, click the link in the comments below.
The performance will also be recorded for National Public Radio’s “From the Top” and will be featured at a later date both as a national radio broadcast and as a full-length podcast.
[Image: Justin Kauflin. Photo by Glen McClure.]

07/22/2026

The Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress has awarded commissions for new musical works to six composers. The commissions are granted jointly by the foundation and the performing organizations that will present the world premiere of each work. https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/library-announces-2026-music-commissions-from-koussevitzky-foundation/s/e23da1d3-f540-4b67-8a66-3643bb0f8fd5?loclr=fbmus

Winning composers for 2026 and the groups co-sponsoring their commissions are: Utku Asuroglu and Ensemble Dal Niente; Pascale Criton and Ghost Ensemble; Malika Kishino and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music; Reinaldo Moya and the Chiarina Chamber Players; Peter S. Shin and the Del Sol String Quartet; and Errollyn Wallen and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

07/21/2026

Teaser Tuesday: Scrambling to stay cool this summer? Find inspiration in this autographed silk fan, branded with the image of Café Martin. Conjuring the glamour of post-music performance gatherings in early 1900s New York City, this souvenir illustrates the fan’s transition from 19th century fashion accessory to early 20th century “swag.”
https://lccn.loc.gov/2014572478?loclr=fbmus

Souvenir fan autographed by Edward MacDowell, Marian MacDowell, and Abbie and Henry Finck, undated. Abbie H.C. and Henry T. Finck Photograph Collection of Opera Singers and Other Musicians, Music Division, Library of Congress.

07/14/2026

Teaser Tuesday: A thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Gunther Schuller’s Concerts for Young People program from the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York 1938-1939 season hilariously and adorably exemplifies the universal urge of the young to be precise about age. Beyond the repertoire, the program features his seat number at school and some relevant sketches. His father, Arthur, was a violinist with the orchestra at the time and may have been onstage for this performance. Just over four years later, Gunther was appointed principal horn of the Cincinnati Symphony.
https://lccn.loc.gov/2014572564?loclr=fbmus

Cover and inscribed flyleaf of Philharmonic-Society of New York concert for young people program; Gunther Schuller's sketch of a tuba excerpted from concert summary, circa 1939. Gunther Schuller Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress.

07/07/2026

Teaser Tuesday: Found amidst cookbooks in the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Papers, this A to Z list contains Ball's important cooking-related phrases. Some of these include "Guests likes & dislikes," "Leftovers-a godsend," and "Zestful zig-zagging to make ends meet."
https://lccn.loc.gov/2006560773?loclr=fbmus

Lucille Ball's A to Z list of things to remember while cooking, undated. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress.