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.

Kristian Bezuidenhout

In 2016 fortepiano phenomenon Kristian Bezuidenhout brought this unique instrument to life in a rare treat for Coolidge audiences. Known for his thoughtful and energetic performances of concerti, Lieder, chamber music and solo repertoire, Bezuidenhout trains his eye on some of the riches of the mid-1790s for his appearance at the Library.

Abdullah Ibrahim Concert

Jazz pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim celebrated his Library of Congress residency with a captivating concert that left the audience in awe of his authenticity as a performer. A onetime protégé of Duke Ellington, Ibrahim has become a cultural icon in his native South Africa, through his commitment to expanding music education opportunities and developing the nation’s unique jazz scene.

Maria Schneider Concert

Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as “evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and beyond categorization.” The multiple GRAMMY® award-winning composer and bandleader spent a packed week at the Library on the spring of 2016 for a special residency project. On the agenda were explorations of the Library’s treasure trove of scores and memorabilia, plus workshops for students and conversations with curators. Schneider conducted her terrific orchestra—a crack 17-member collective made up of many of the finest jazz musicians performing —and unveiled her new Library of Congress commission, created through the support of the Reva and David Logan Foundation, in memory of David Logan.

Dafnis Prieto SÍ O SÍ Quartet Concert

with guest artist, Christian Howes, violin
“Prieto’s music explodes with energy… original compositions with a singular passion and intensity.”

Cuban-born composer and drummer Dafnis Prieto is unquestionably one of the most important leaders of the New Latin Jazz movement.  He has wonderfully blurred the line between traditional Latin-jazz and 21-century postbop, fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms and modern jazz harmonies.

Minguet Quartett

Regulars at major music festivals and concert halls across the globe, this award-winning quartet takes its name from 18th-century Spanish philosopher Pablo Minguet, who wished to make the arts accessible to everyone. Champions of contemporary composers like Rihm and Stockhausen, the Minguet is equally at home with Romantic masters. Treasures both new and well-known are on offer in this beautiful program, including favorites by Czech composers and a transcription of one of Gustav Mahler’s most affecting lieder.

Ensemble Signal 

In 2017, our season opened with an extraordinary evening of chamber works by a pioneering composer whose music has profoundly influenced composers and musicians worldwide. The Library and Washington Performing Arts joined forces to present this special concert featuring the East Coast premiere of Runner, for winds, percussion, strings, and two pianos. Brad Lubman conducts the fearless supergroup Ensemble Signal, which has enjoyed a long and cordial relationship with the composer.

Roger Steffens: Oral History of Bob Marley

Reggae historian and collector Roger Steffens’ new book So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley (W.W. Norton Press) is“a rich new oral biography” (New York Times) offering the author’s intimate, revelatory interviews with Marley’s family and musical partners. Steffens speaks from the expert viewpoint of a journalist, musician and producer known for four decades of reggae scholarship as well as tours with the artist, and the impressive resources of his own Marley collection of recordings and memorabilia, the world’s largest.