The Library’s 2011-2012 concert season kicked off on Oct. 15 with “Babalu! Celebrating the Library’s Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Collection.” Sixty years to the day that “I Love Lucy” made its television debut, the concert was held in conjunction with the Library’s “I Love Lucy” exhibition. Featuring the iconic Hollywood couple’s children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., “Babalu!” spotlighted orchestrations of the Desi Arnaz Orchestra (recently donated to the Music Division) and saluted both Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday and the 60th anniversary of one of the best loved shows in television history.
A variety of styles and sounds highlight this year’s concert series, including Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the Borromeo String Quartet and Quatuor Diotima. - Music Division
Following this premiere event, the concert series will present a 30-event roster of classical, jazz, pop, country, folk and world music. Established in 1925 by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, the concert season also includes film screenings, noontime lectures, displays of material from the Library’s collections, and workshops and master classes for students of all ages.
A season-long BachFest and a Franz Liszt Bicentenary Project underscore the riches of the Library’s extraordinary music archives. To mark the John Cage centennial, violinist Irvine Arditti and pianist Stephen Drury perform a Library commission, Cage’s “Two4.”
Leon Fleisher and Katherine Jacobson
Fleisher, Gretchen Parlato and Louis Lortie.
- Music Division
Continuing its tradition of supporting contemporary music, the Library announces a new endowment, the Dina Koston and Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music. Two special concerts inaugurate the fund: a theater-and-music evening incorporating a play by Samuel Beckett and a chamber-music evening featuring pianist Leon Fleisher. The Cygnus Ensemble will premiere a new Library of Congress McKim Fund commission by Harold Meltzer, founder of the Sequitur ensemble.
The Library’s concert series is presented free of charge to the public but requires tickets for admission. Tickets are distributed by TicketMaster at (202) 397-7328, (410) 547-7328 and (703) 573-7328. Each ticket carries a nominal service charge, with additional charges for phone orders and handling. Tickets are also available at TicketMaster outlets and online at www.TicketMaster.com.
For more information, call the Concert Information Line at (202) 707-5502 or visit www.loc.gov/concerts/.
Modigliani String Quartet, Paolo Pandolfo and Johann Sebastian Bach. - Music Division
