August 19, 2004 Baritone Thomas Hampson, Jazz Guitarist Bill Frisell And World-Premiere Compositions Spark 2004-2005 Library of Congress Concert Series

Political song cycles and Christmas chorales mingle with jazz guitar and Bohemian masters; a distinguished baritone honors American composers; a distinguished American composer celebrates his 75th birthday; and a remarkable field of musicians commemorates everyone from Bach and Vivaldi to Fanny Brice and Sophie Tucker in the 2004-2005 Library of Congress concert series.

Among the highlights is a Dec. 7 concert by internationally renowned operatic baritone Thomas Hampson, whose Hampsong Foundation is launching a collaborative effort with the Library of Congress to promote American art song. On Feb. 18, 2005, guitarist Bill Frisell will treat audiences to his unique mix of jazz, country, folk, blues, rock, world and classical music.

George Crumb, recently named Composer of the Year by Musical America, will join an ensemble of percussion, piano, guitar and voice on Oct. 25 to celebrate his 55 years of creative output. In May fellow composer Fred Lerdahl will see the world premiere of his "Duo for Violin and Piano" - a work commissioned by the Library's McKim Fund. Another work commissioned by the fund - Stephen Harke's "Diferencias" for violin and piano - will receive its premiere from the Juilliard String Quartet on Dec. 17.

The upcoming presidential election gets a delightful musical spin on Oct. 26, when the Election Singers present works from the Library's collections of Berlin, Gershwin and campaign songs, as well as the premiere of "Mr. President," a new choral cycle based on presidential speeches.

In February 2005 the Danilo Pérez Trio, a major new force in pan-American music, will showcase its innovative blend of traditional jazz, Latin-Afro-Cuban rhythms and folk and world music. The next month will see the arrival of Aguavá New Music Studio, one of the country's most impressive new music ensembles, performing masterworks of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Jazz and soul music fans should take special note of a series of documentaries running in the James Madison Building's third-floor Mary Pickford Theater from Oct. 18 to Dec. 20. The films, made between the 1950s and the 1970s, feature such artists as John Coltrane, Carmen McRae, Nina Simone, Labelle, Al Green, Gladys Knight and the Pips,and Stevie Wonder.

All Library of Congress concerts and other public programs are presented free of charge to the public but require tickets for admission. No tickets are required for noontime events in this series, which are offered from noon to 1 p.m. in the Library's Coolidge Auditorium or on the Jefferson Building's Neptune Plaza. Tickets are distributed by Ticketmaster at (202) 397-7328, (703) 573-7328, (410) 547-7328 or, for out-of-state residents, (800) 551-7328. Each ticket carries a nominal service charge of $2, with additional charges for phone orders and handling. Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Although the supply of tickets may be exhausted, there are often empty seats at concert time. Interested patrons are encouraged to come to the Library by 6:30 p.m. on concert nights to wait in the standby line for no-show tickets.

Unless otherwise noted, all concerts will be held in the Coolidge Auditorium, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., in Washington, D.C. For further information about Concerts from the Library of Congress, call the Concert Information Line at (202) 707-5502, or visit the Web site at www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert. The concert schedule for the 2004-2005 season follows.

CONCERTS FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
2004-2005

All programs take place at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium unless otherwise noted; programs subject to change without notice)

• Oct. 5:
  I Musici de Montréal
  Yuli Turovsky, Artistic Director
  Canada's internationally renowned chamber orchestra gives a fresh reading of Tchaikovsky's popular Serenade for Strings, op. 48, and performances of Britten's "Variations on a Theme" by Frank Bridge and three Jewish pieces by Bloch with maestro Turovsky as cello soloist, plus the Washington premiere of "Coup d'Archet" by Canadian composer Denis Gougeon.
  Tickets available Sept. 1.
• Oct. 20:
  Panocha Quartet
  Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, op. 33, no. 6
  Smetana: String Quartet no. 2 in D Minor
  Dvorák: String Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 51 ("Slavonic")
  Tickets available Sept. 8.
• Oct. 22:
  Jacky Terrasson Trio
  A winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, the Paris-based French-American pianist leads his trio, praised for its "rhythmic elasticity, harmonic richness, and melodic elan," in unexpected and fresh interpretations of standards and original works that bear the influence of Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal, Jacques Brel, and Edith Piaf. Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of France.
  Tickets available Sept. 8.
• Oct. 26:
  Election Singers
  Judith Clurman, Conductor
  A delightful evening of works from the Library=s collections of Berlin, Gershwin, and campaign songs, and the premiere of a new choral cycle based on Presidential speeches, "Mr. President," written for this concert by prominent American composers - Adler, Babbitt, Brown, Cabaniss, Hagen, Heggie, Moravec, Schwartz, Shatin, and others.
  Tickets available Sept. 15.
• Oct. 29:
  George Crumb Ensemble 75th birthday tour
  A retrospective concert of works by Musical America's "2004 Composer of the Year" spanning 55 years of his creative output, including "Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik" on Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight. The composer himself is the percussionist, joined by soprano Tony Arnold, pianist Robert Shannon, and guitarist David Starobin.
  Tickets available Sept. 15.
• Nov. 3:
  Kopelman Quartet
  Prokofiev: String Quartet no. 2 (on Kabardinian themes) in F Major, op. 92
  Miaskovsky: String Quartet no.13 in A Minor, op. 86
  Tchaikovsky: String Quartet no. 3 in E-flat Minor, op. 33
  Tickets available Sept. 22.
• Nov. 9:
  Le Concert Spirituel
  Hervé Niquet, Director
  Unparalleled interpreters of the 17th- and 18th-century French Grand Motet, the 16 singers and instrumentalists of the group under its founding director commemorate the 300th death anniversary of Marc-Antoine Charpentier with a performance of his "Te Deum" and "Messe de Monsieur de Mauroy" Ctwo crowning achievements of French Baroque music. Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of France.
  Tickets available Sept. 29.
• Dec. 7:
  Thomas Hampson
  With Craig Rutenberg, piano
  The first in a series of collaborative educational programs between the Library of Congress and the Hampsong Foundation (www.hampsong.com) established by the internationally acclaimed American baritone for the promotion of the art song in America. Presented in cooperation with the Vocal Arts Society.
  Tickets available Oct. 27.
• Dec. 10:
  Fanfare Consort
  In Sweet Joy
  Thom Freas, Founder and Artistic Director
  A musical celebration of the winter season from the Christian and Jewish traditions, highlighted by the Vivaldi "Gloria" in D Major and settings of the Christmas chorale "In dulci jubilo," as well as secular literature - in historically informed performances by a vocal quartet and an ensemble of Baroque strings, winds, trumpet, and basso continuo.
  Tickets available Oct. 27.
• Dec. 14:
  Beaux Arts Trio
  50th anniversary season
  In its current incarnation - pianist Menahem Pressler, the remaining founding member; violinist Daniel Hope; and cellist Antonio MenesesCthe chamber music legend continues the tradition of eminent artistry, profound musicianship, comprehensive repertoire, and extensive discography. The program will include a piece commissioned by the McKim Fund in the Library of Congress.
  Tickets available Nov. 3.
• Dec. 17:
  Juilliard String Quartet
  With Christopher Oldfather, piano
  Stephen Hartke's "Diferencias" for violin and piano, a new commission by the McKim Fund in the Library of Congress, receives its world premiere.
  Tickets available Nov. 3.
• Feb. 4:
  Danilo Pérez Trio
  The young Panamanian pianist-composer and innovative exponent of Pan-American jazz leads drummer Adam Cruz and bassist Ben Street in an insightful and distinctive blend of standard jazz, Latin-Afro-Cuban rhythms, and folk and world music.
  Tickets available Dec. 22.
• Feb. 10:
  Aviv String Quartet
  McMillan: Sketches (Washington premiere)
  Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 4
  Brahms: String Quartet in B-flat Major, op. 67
  Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel.
  Tickets available Dec. 22.
• Feb. 11:
  Bill Frisell, guitar
  With Jenny Sheiman and Eyvind Kang, violins; Ava King, viola; Hank Roberts, cello
  "A country lament that ends up as a tango" is not surprising from the Baltimore-born guitarist and two-time DownBeat Guitarist of the Year, whose eclectic style has been called "Americana," melding jazz, country, folk, blues, rock, world and classical music.
  Tickets available Jan. 5.
• Feb. 23:
  Sabine Meyer/Trio di Clarone
  With Kalle Randalu, Piano
  Mozart (arr. Schottstadt): Divertimento F Major on Four Arias from
  "Così fan tutte@ for 3 Basset Horns
  Poulenc: Sonata for Clarinet (1918)
  Milhaud: Scaramouche for Clarinet and Piano
  Mozart: Trio in E-flat Major, K. 498 (AKegelstatt@) for Clarinet, Basset Horn, and Piano
  Francaix: Quartet for Clarinet, Basset Horn, Bass Clarinet, and Piano (1994)
  Tickets available Jan. 12.
• Feb. 25:
  Rebel: Ensemble for Baroque Music
  Jorg-Michael Schwarz & Karen Marie Marmer, Directors
  A program of Vivaldi concertos and sonatas including the popular "La Follia," an early edition of which is in the Library's special collections - performed on period instruments by flute/recorder player Matthias Maute, violinists Schwarz and Marmer, violist Risa Browder, cellist John Moran, bassist Anne Trout, and theorbo/lute/guitar player Daniel Swenberg.
  Tickets available Jan. 12.
• March 8:
  Keller Quartet
  Schubert: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, D. 87
  Ligeti: String Quartet no. 1 ("Métamorphoses nocturnes")
  Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, op. 10
  Tickets available Jan. 26.
• March 16:
  Aguava New Music Studio
  Alain Barker, Cary Boyce, and Carmen Helena Tellez, Artistic Directors
  Considered one of today's most impressive new music ensembles in America, Aguava New Music Studio, conducted by Carmen Helena Tellez, is a network of classically trained composers and performers which presents masterworks of the late twentieth century and recently composed works of the twenty-first in a variety of contexts for listeners and organizations worldwide.
  Tickets available Feb. 2. Pre-concert presentation: panel discussion on the evolution of Latin American classical music, moderated by composer Aurelio de la Vega.
  6 p.m. Whittall Pavilion (no tickets required)
• March 30:
  Musicians from Ravinia's Steans Institute
  Brahms' late masterwork, String Quintet in G Major, op. 111, and Dvorak's charming and unusual Terzetto, op. 74, highlight an evening with eminent violinist Miriam Fried, violinist/violist Paul Biss, and an international quintet from Ireland, Holland, France, Israel, and the United States' participants in the Ravinia Festival professional program for young artists.
  Tickets available TBA
• April 15:
  Washington Bach Consort: Bach Alive in the Nation's Library
  J. Reilly Lewis, Founder and Music Director
  First in a series of performances exploring connections between the Baroque master, whose autograph scores of Cantatas 9 and 10 reside in the Library, and other genres of choral music found in the Library's vast archives. Choir and period instruments perform Cantata BWV 10, Meine Seel 'erhebt den Herren, along with Barber's Agnus Dei, works by Amy Beach, and Eleanor Remick Warren's arrangement of Bist du bei mir. This series and past performances of the Consort will be made available online at www.loc.gov/rr/perform/ihas. A special collaborative project sponsored by the Washington Bach Consort, the Eleanor Remick Warren Society, and the Library of Congress.
  Tickets available March 2.
• April 22:
  David Cates, harpsichord
  Praised for the "variety of playing style and interpretive surprise" in his performances of Johann Sebastian Bach, an outstanding talent among the new generation of American harpsichordists offers an evening of masterworks by the great composer including the Partita in D Major, BWV 828 and the English Suite in G Minor, BWV 808.
  Tickets available March 9.
• April 27:
  L'Ensemble Baroque de Limoges
  Christophe Coin, Director
  Led by a cellist of "imaginative high spirits," members of a period instrument group praised for the "refined nuances" and "eloquently-spun" lines of its playing, in works by Leclair, Marin Marais, Rameau, Telemann, and excerpts from J.S. Bach's Musical Offering. Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of France.
  Tickets available March 16.
• April 29:
  David Finckel, cello, and Wu Han, piano
  Recently named artistic directors of the New York Chamber Music Society, the brilliant husband and wife duo presents an evening of Russian classics and the Washington premiere of a sonata by poet-pianist-composer Lera Auerbach dedicated to them.
  Tickets available March 16.
• May 12:
  Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
  Veracini: Overture no. 6
  Vivaldi: Concerto for Strings, RV 156
  Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Violins, RV 533
  Geminiani: Concerto Grosso no. 12 in D Minor
  Bach: Orchestral Suite no. 1, BWV 1066
  Bach: Concerto for Two Violins, BWV 1043
  Tickets available March 30.
• May 17:
  New York Festival of Song: Lost Tribes of Vaudeville
  Michael Barrett and Steven Blier, Artistic Directors
  Pianist-arranger Steven Blier leads vocalists and instrumentalists in "a light-hearted salute" to black and Jewish vaudeville performers - legends Bert Williams, George Walker, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Ethel Waters, Cab Calloway, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, and Molly Picon.
  Tickets available April 6.
• May 20:
  Rolf Schulte, violin; James Finn, piano; and Jerry Grossman, cello
  Ravel: Sonate postume
  Lerdahl: Duo for Violin and Piano (World Premiere)
  Brahms: Scherzo in C Minor, woo2 posth.
  Schumann: Piano Trio in D Minor, op. 63.
  Tickets available April 6.