Event Special Events From Cylinders to Surround Mixes: Sound Installations

Come to a festival of recorded sound tonight, as the Whittall Pavillion will host demonstrations of quadraphonic sound and contemporary surround mixes the rooms along Mahogany Row, visitors will hear montages of recordings from the 1890s to the present that have been digitized at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC), as well as playback of original media by NAVCC staff.

Visitors will hear the voices of opera greats such as Enrico Caruso and Amalia Galli-Curci alongside the early jazz recordings of King Oliver and Louis Armstrong and recordings of the many languages and traditions in American music that were being recorded from the dawn of the 20^th Century forward, as well as historic broadcast excerpts from our radio holdings in edited montages of 8 to 12 minutes. In addition, visitors will hear demonstrations of multi-channel audio from the early days of stereo in 1950s through the four channel quadraphonic era of the 1970s through recent surround mixes.

This all-day event is free, but timed-entry passes are required to enter the Library of Congress. Click the "Get Tickets" link above and select a timed-entry pass for your preferred entry time.