MUSIC NEWS

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNNER (1967) | 108 mins.
Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 7:00 PM
FILM

Stanley Kramer, Director
Stanley Kramer’s film addressed the then-controversial subject of interracial marriage in a work that garnered Oscars for Best Screenplay (William Rose) and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Katharine Hepburn).
NR

Miranda Cuckson & Friends
Friday, February 21, 2020 at 8:00 PM
CONCERT

Miranda Cuckson, violin | Daniel Panner, viola
Sophie Shao, cello | Stephen Gosling, piano
Miranda Cuckson leads a special program honoring violinist Leonora Jackson McKim, whose Stradivari violin will be loaned to the Library for this special evening. McKim was one of the Library’s great patrons, whose gift has commissioned dozens of works for violin and piano. Featured on this program is a variety of works featuring strings from solo violin to piano quartet, including the Finale of Beethoven’s early string trio, op. 3—the manuscript of which resides at the Library.

#Declassified: “Alban Berg in the Library’s Collection”
Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 11:00 AM
LECTURE

Kazem Abdullah, Music Division

1925. The year that Concerts from the Library of Congress was founded and also the year that Alban Berg’s Wozzeck was first performed. The significance of Wozzeck lies in its success in connecting with its audience and delivering social messages in a most striking and contemporary manner. The Library of Congress is fortunate to hold the manuscript of this enduring masterpiece. This #Declassified lecture will examine how the innovative atonal music, classical forms and their allusions, musical symbolism, leitmotifs, and avant garde compositional techniques produce a musical expression powerful enough to capture the complexity, social messages, and emotions in the text. Do not miss this rare chance to see Berg’s manuscript and delve deeper into this transcendent opera.

“A Power Stronger than Itself: the AACM and American Experimental Music”
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 7:00 PM
LECTURE

George Lewis, author

Composer, trombonist, educator and historian George Lewis speaks about his sweeping account of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the impact of this organization on his own work over the years. A MacArthur Fellow and Edwin H. Case Professor of American Music at Columbia University, Lewis shares an insider’s perspective on this organization and its ongoing support of experimental music.

Presented in cooperation with The Phillips Collection.

*Books will be available for sale.

THE GRADUATE (1967) | 106 mins.
Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM
FILM
NR

Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft star in this generational favorite about uncertain futures and the unplanned paths life can take. With a soundtrack featuring the songs of Simon and Garfunkel and additional music by Dave Grusin, The Graduate takes us back to “The Sounds of Silence.”

Sphinx Virtuosi
Friday, February 28, 2020 at 10:30 AM
EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Described by The New York Times as “first-rate in every way...producing a more beautiful, precise and carefully shaped sound than some fully professional orchestras,” Sphinx Virtuosi has brightened the American classical music landscape since its founding in 2004.

As part of their engagement at the Library, Sphinx Virtuosi will conduct an educational narrated mini-concert with a discussion of the members’ month-long national tour experience and issues related to music and cultural diversity.

Sphinx Virtuos: For Justice and Peace
Friday, February 28, 2020 at 8:00 PM
CONCERT

Described by The New York Times as “first-rate in every way...producing a more beautiful, precise and carefully shaped sound than some fully professional orchestras” Sphinx Virtuosi has brightened the American classical music landscape since its founding in 2004. This unique self-conducted ensemble is comprised of the nation’s top Black and Latinx classical soloists. They make their debut at the Library of Congress in a program rich with gems by composers of color, including new and important voices such as Jessie Montgomery and Xavier Foley. This concert offers something for both seasoned listeners and newcomers.