For nearly a century music lovers worldwide and in the nation’s capital have enjoyed concerts at the Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress. Come explore and watch and listen to videos of this season’s concerts as well as past concerts here.
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Film, Video A Celebration of the Fulton, Ex-Baird, Tuscan-Medici Viola with Curtis on TourViolist Roberto Díaz was joined by musicians from "Curtis on Tour" (including Judy Zhuo, mezzo-soprano, Jaques Forestier, violin, and Lynn Ye, piano) for a performance at the Library. The event featured the official unveiling of the Fulton, ex-Baird, Tuscan-Medici Stradivari viola, which had recently been purchased for the Library after previously being on loan to it for many years. With its acquisition the Library…- Contributor: Vita, Sue Díaz, Roberto Forestier, Jaques Newlen, Robert Zhuo, Judy Bamford, Carol Lynn Ward Ye, Lynn
- Date: 2025-05-14
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Film, Video Porgy and Bess 90th AnniversaryThe Library of Congress and Washington National Opera celebrate the 90th anniversary of George and Ira Gershwin's landmark work "Porgy and Bess." Artists of the Washington National Opera perform selections from "Porgy and Bess," and hear a discussion about the history and impact of this iconic American work for the stage.- Contributor: Cambridge, Alyson Smith Jr., Reginald Vita, Susan H. White, Raymond A. Mills, Marvin Walker, Angela Powell O'Leary, Timothy
- Date: 2025-04-23
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Film, Video Del Sol Quartet Pop Up at the Lincoln MemorialAs part of its 2025 engagement at the Library of Congress, the Del Sol Quartet presents a pop-up concert on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial.- Contributor: Del Sol Quartet
- Date: 2025-04-09
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Film, Video Music of Anthony BraxtonAnthony Braxton has played a key role in contemporary and avant-garde music as a composer, multi-instrumentalist, music theorist, teacher and visionary. Inspired by Jazz, European art music, and music of global cultures, Braxton labels his output Creative Music. The Library of Congress celebrates the acquisition of his collection with a concert featuring an array of stellar collaborators. For a composer known for his expansive…- Contributor: Cook, Jean Matlock, Adam Reid, Tomeka Fei, James Jonas, Chris Peck, Dan Siegel, Aaron Young, Katherine Rhodes, Anne Testa, Carl Dicker, Erica Richards, Steph Regev, Reut Smythe, Cory Hallett, Nick Laubrock, Ingrid Show More Show Less
- Date: 2025-03-18
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Film, Video AmarcordThe five voices of amarcord take us on a journey half a millennium in the making. The quintet was founded over 30 years ago by graduates of the famed Thomanerchor in Leipzig - the "a ca-fellas" of amarcord are in their prime and equally at home with music old and new. The program traverses Renaissance fare from Josquin to Schütz, German Romantics from Schubert…- Contributor: Amarcord
- Date: 2024-11-15
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Film, Video Emi Ferguson and RuckusFlutist Emi Ferguson and ensemble Ruckus performed at the annual Founder's Day concert on October 30, 2024. Ferguson and the ensemble adapted works by Telemann and Ligeti for their special blend of Baroque and modern instruments. Included in this video are their adaptations of Telemann's Fantasias, TWV 40:2-13, selected from their performance at the Library.- Contributor: Ferguson, Emi
- Date: 2024-10-30
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Film, Video Octets by Debussy, Loeffler and Schubert Directed by Graeme Steele JohnsonUntil it was recently revived, the octet of Charles Loeffler is not known to have been played or recorded since the year it was composed, 1897. The manuscript is housed in the Music Division at the Library of Congress, and the work was given new life through the efforts of Graeme Steele Johnson, who assembled the score and a host of top-tier players to…- Contributor: Decaprio, Samuel Kim, Siwoo Chen, Stella Hochhalter, Anni Lipman, Matthew Johnson, Graeme Steele Suggs, Sam Kibbey, Bridget Taghavi, Rémy Ferguson, Emi Shifrin, David
- Date: 2024-05-22
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Film, Video Jordi SavallJordi Savall is one of the most versatile musical personalities of his generation. For more than 50 years, he has rescued musical gems from the obscurity of neglect and oblivion and given them back for all to enjoy. A tireless researcher into early music, he interprets and performs the repertory both as a gambist and a conductor. His activities as a concert performer, teacher,…- Contributor: Savall, Jordi
- Date: 2024-04-02
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Film, Video Rhapsody in Blue at 100 with Simone Dinnerstein and the US Air Force BandOn February 12, 1924, George Gershwin appeared at the piano with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra for the premiere of his freshly-minted "Rhapsody in Blue." The iconic work was initially orchestrated by Ferde Grofé for Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, a unique ensemble with musicians whose abilities were known inside out. Here to bring that original sound back to life is the United States Air…- Contributor: US Air Force Band Dinnerstein, Simone
- Date: 2024-02-12
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Film, Video Anna Sokolow and the Reimagined Roots of Anti-fascist DanceSokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble's artistic director Samantha Géracht introduced the story of restoring early activist dances of American choreographer Anna Sokolow in a program of performances, panel discussion and movement as demonstration. After the Library of Congress announced the extraordinary discovery of handwritten scores composed by Alex North for two of Sokolow's dances, Géracht reimagined the dances using archival evidence and the music. "Ballad in…- Contributor: Géracht, Samantha
- Date: 2024-01-26
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Film, Video Billy Strayhorn: Known and Unknown, Real and ImaginedDavid Hajdu, author of "Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn", gave the keynote lecture for a symposium in celebration of Billy Strayhorn. Part of the Library's three-day "Salute to Strayhorn," Hajdu's talk brought to light aspects of Strayhorn's life that are often overshadowed by his professional relationship with Duke Ellington.- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Stephen Hough ConcertSir Stephen Hough brought his trademark eloquence and precision to a recital filled with music by composers close to his heart. From the mysterious and mystical realms of Mompou and Scriabin to the evocative imagery of Debussy and Hough's own Partita, Hough leaves a stamp on all of this repertoire. His recital closed with a suite of pieces selected from the second volume of…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Strayhorn: Known & UnknownA number of distinguished panelists contributed to the "Strayhorn: Known & Unknown" symposium. Following David Hajdu's keynote lecture, a group consisting of A. Alyce Claerbaut, Lisa Barg, Marlon Martinez and Robert O'Meally gave presentations about the life and work of Billy Strayhorn, and then answered questions from the audience. Part of the Library's three-day "Salute to Strayhorn," this event helped celebrate the Billy Strayhorn…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Bach Collegium Japan with Roderick Williams & Masaaki SuzukiMasaaki Suzuki led an ensemble of 11 stellar musicians from the illustrious Bach Collegium Japan. They were joined by British baritone Roderick Williams, a distinguished figure on opera and concert stages worldwide. At the forefront of the world's early music ensembles, the Collegium is admired for its superb artistry and "unmatched excellence" (Gramophone) in the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. Suzuki is…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Behind the Scenes: Music from the Washington Men's CamerataWatch James Wintle of the Music Division discuss the program of the Washington Men's Camerata, which performed a number of pieces for which the Library of Congress holds the manuscripts or early editions. A particular focus for the first portion of the presentation is Franz Liszt and a brief choral fragment of his music held at the Library.- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Washington Men's CamerataWatch Frank Albinder and the Washington Men's Camerata take us through a survey of music by Beach, Foote, Weber, Wagner and more. This program of music for men's chorus by American and German composers is drawn mostly from music that the Library holds in manuscript. This concert was made possible with the generous support of the Irving and Verna Fine Fund in the Library…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Signum QuartetThe Signum Quartet's performance of Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" has been called "as boldly imagined as a symphony" (The Times, London). The exciting German ensemble plays Schubert's emotional masterpiece, a robust Haydn quartet, and a striking contemplation on mortality by South African composer Matthijs van Dijk. While the Coolidge Auditorium was undergoing repairs, the Signum Quartet performed at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, just…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Focused Encounters with Recent Music: Roger Reynolds' ACTIONS [SHARESPACE V]A recent work by Roger Reynolds was premiered as part of a special concert that featured a performance of a piece followed by a discussion with the composer and performing artists involved. In the case of Reynold's ACTIONS, we heard an exceptional performance by pianist Eric Huebner and computer musician Jacob Sundstrom. Following the performance, the musicians were joined onstage by composer Roger Reynolds…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Focused Encounters with Recent Music: Kate Soper's 'IPSA DIXIT'An excerpt of a recent work by Kate Soper was performed by the Wet Ink Ensemble as part of a special concert that featured a performance of the music followed by a discussion with the composer and performing artists involved. Wet Ink performed segments of Soper's "IPSA DIXIT," a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. The concert was part of an inaugural set of…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Shakespeare Everywhere Festival ConcertEnjoy a wide-ranging concert of Shakespeare-inspired music featuring the Cafritz Young Artists of the Washington National Opera as part of the citywide Shakespeare Everywhere Festival. Performers included Teresa Perrotta, Kresley Figueroa, Tiffany Choe, Winona Martin, Sahel Salam, Justin Burgess, Nicole Cloutier and Pei-Hsuan Lin and was co-sponsored with Washington National Opera. WNO presented Charles Gounod's masterwork Roméo et Juliette in November 2023, and this…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Dalí String Quartet with Ricardo Morales2023 Chamber Music America String Quartet of the Year and Silver Medal winner of the Piazzolla Music Competition, the Dalí Quartet is renowned for their innovative programming bringing the spotlight to Latin American repertoire. They came to the Library of Congress to perform on the Library's historic stringed instruments with a beautifully curated program featuring works by Puerto Rican composer Sonia Morales-Matos, Spanish composer…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2023
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Film, Video Justin Taylor, HarpsichordAn impressive concert from the gifted young French-American harpsichordist Justin Taylor pairs sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti and his admirer and disciple Antonio Soler. His technical command and thoughtful perceptions of form and structure highlight intriguing hints of modernism from both composers. Their brilliant and often flamboyantly dramatic sonatas suggest the world of opera and convey the cosmopolitanism of the major music centers they worked…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2022
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Film, Video Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered VoicesTune in for a conversation with conductor James Conlon, Artistic Director of The Colburn School's Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices; Adam Millstein, curator and producer for this virtual concert by Colburn musicians.- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2022
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Film, Video Ritz Chamber Players ConcertThe Ritz Chamber Players are hailed by The Baltimore Sun as "one of the most interesting and dynamic ensembles to emerge in recent years," boasting some of the world's preeminent musicians spanning the African diaspora. Its members perform with prestigious organizations including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra. Interesting, often newly-rediscovered repertoire is a feature of the group's concerts,…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2022
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Film, Video Mivos Quartet ConcertThe evening presents an intricate fusion of manners and styles, ranging from expressionistic intensity and raw emotion to the poetry of polychromatic, sonorous spaces and meditative landscapes. This video includes a portion of the program, including works by Webern, Saunders and Mumford. Performers Olivia De Prato and Maya Bennardo, violin Victor Lowrie Tafoya, viola Tyler J. Borden, cello. Program: ; [1:05] Hannah Kendall: "Glances/I…- Contributor: Library of Congress Library of Congress. Music Division
- Date: 2022