Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Library of Congress Announces 2018-19 Concert Season

From a conversation with Jessye Norman to the first public appearance of the Pérez, Cohen, Potter Quintet to a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the film, "The Wiz," there's something for everyone in the Library's 2018-19 concert season

From our friends at the Library of Congress...

Series Features Film Screenings, Video Game Music Weekend and World Premieres of Six New Commissions

The Library of Congress launches an exciting and richly diverse 2018-19 season of exceptional concerts, lectures, film screenings and conversations with artists and scholars, beginning October 6, 2018, through June 1, 2019. The “Concerts from the Library of Congress” series presents an extraordinary selection of more than 75 free events embracing classical music, jazz, pop, dance and American musical theater and much more.

The Coolidge Auditorium will showcase an impressive array of master musicians in many genres, including Christophe Rousset with Les Talens Lyriques, Paul Lewis, Charles Lloyd and Lucinda Williams, Danilo Pérez, Renaud Capuçon, Alan Menken, Jean Rondeau, Brad Lubman, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with pianist Jan Lisiecki, and many more. See a listing of the complete season at loc.gov/concerts.


With a packed October roster that sets the pace for a year of great music at the nation’s library, the “Concerts from the Library of Congress” series is made possible through the generous support of endowments given to the Library by private donors. The series is free, but tickets are required and there might be special restrictions. Tickets for the concert series are available through Eventbrite .

They also may be accessed via loc.gov/concerts or the free Eventbrite mobile app for iOS or Android devices. Tickets are not required to attend preconcert presentations, lectures, films or weekday daytime programs.

Highlights for the season include six new Library of Congress commissions and a number of intriguing special projects unique to the nation’s library that open the doors to the invaluable materials in the Library’s Music Division. The Library holds the world’s largest music collection, with more than 25 million items.

The Library will celebrate the 40th anniversary of “The Wiz,” an iconic reflection of African-American culture, during the weekend of October 25-26 with a presentation by the film’s production designer, Tony Walton. Walton’s set and costume designs for “The Wiz,” now a part of the Library’s Tony Walton Collection, also will be on display during the special weekend celebration.

The Library will invite gamers, composers, designers and regular music lovers to experience “Augmented Realities,” a fun, fascinating and educational video game, during the April 4-6 weekend. Anchored by a concert with the live creation of a game score, this project features a panel discussion, film screening, the premiere of a Library of Congress commission from Austin Wintory and a hands-on interactive exhibit of vintage games and equipment.

In November, Alan Menken will bring his movie-musical magic to the stage and the impressive 24-voice Latvian Radio Choir will perform music by Gabrieli, Mahler and Petris Vasks. In February, Mnozil Brass will perform its “Cirque” evening, a spectacular theatrical event requiring command of an astonishing technical lexicon.

Other concert highlights include:

• October 6: Truls Mørk and Behzod Abduraimov

• October 10: Newly formed Pérez, Cohen, Potter Quintet making its first public appearance

• October 19: Emerson String Quartet and cellist David Finckel

• October 30: All-female vocal quartet Quince and the TAK Ensemble 

• November 9: Alarm Will Sound premieres Annie Gosfield commission

• November 30: Jenny Lin with Marlissa Hudson and Cornelius Dufallo

• December 12: Charles Lloyd and the Marvels with Lucinda Williams

• December 18: Brentano Quartet with violist Hsin-Yun Huang performing on the Library's incomparable Stradivari instruments

• February 19: Renaud Capuçon and Guillaume Bellom

• March 22: Borodin Quartet’s all-Russian program

• March 23: Library of Congress Jazz Scholar Aaron Diehl

• April 27: Franz Liszt’s “Sardanapalo,” debut of newly reconstructed opera

• May 4: Tetzlaff-Tetzlaff-Vogt Trio

On June 1, the Library will feature the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, debuting a new Library project by Valerie Coleman, an African-American flutist and composer who will create an adaptation of her composition “Phenomenal Women.” She also will give a pre-concert talk about her music. In addition, Jan Lisiecki will perform Mendelssohn’s first concerto with Orpheus, the culmination of a yearlong artistic partnership.

The lineup of lectures, conversations, book talks and #Declassified presentations in the Counterpoints series will include a presentation by Costas Karageorghis about the effects of music on athletic performance (October 23); a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata (April 13); a conversation with Jessye Norman who talks about her career and her advocacy for young musicians and arts education (May 16); and Katherine Preston’s “Americans’ Forgotten Love Affair with Opera” (April 16.)

Fourteen music-centric films will be screened in the intimate 65-seat Mary Pickford Theater. A “Fraudway” series includes “All That Jazz” (1979), “Gold Diggers of 1933” (1933), “Staying Alive” (1983) and “Stepping Out” (1991) will be screened on four consecutive Thursdays, starting January 10-31. The roster of screenings also will include the multipart series “The Film Music of Erich Korngold.”

Ticketing for fall concerts and events will start 10 AM ET on September 5. Patrons can order tickets for events scheduled between October and December.

Ticketing for spring concerts and events will start 10 AM ET on December 12. Patrons can order tickets for events scheduled between January and June.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States - and extensive materials from around the world - both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.