Music and Concerts

Nov. 7, 2014. David Plylar subjectivity in Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms in conjunction with a performance by pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard of works by the composers. Speaker Biography: David Plylar is a composer, pianist and music specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7580

April 30, 2016. David Plylar interviews composer Frederic Rzewski and violist Charlton Lee of the Del Sol String Quartet about their collaboration at the Library of Congress. Rzewski received a Library of Congress McKim Fund commission for "Satires," a work for violin and piano. The world premiere was given at the Library of Congress with Rzewski on piano and violinist Jennifer Koh on April 30, 2016. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7572

May 18, 2016. Joining Nakota and Steve LaRance in this performance of Native American hoop dancing are Steve LaRance's granddaughter Shade Phea Young and nephew Quotsvenma Denipah-Cook. Speaker Biography: Nakotah LaRance began dancing as a fancy dancer, at the age of four. During his travels to pow wows, he met a world champion hoop dancer from his tribe, Derrick Davis. Mr. Davis helped Nakotah by making his first set of hoops and teaching him the basics of hoop dancing. Nakotah's father Steve LaRance took him to the annual Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest in Phoenix, Arizona. He earned several awards in hoop dancing as a youth and won the adult division championship title for both 2015 and 2016. He is also an actor and toured with Cirque Du Soleil in 2009. He has been the master instructor for the Pueblo of Pojoaque Youth Hoop Dancers for the past three years. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7561

July 6, 2016. A concert by NOKA, which specializes in songs about Basque culture, gender, and identity. They are particularly interested in songs that use Noka, a familiar form of address historically used in speaking to a girl or woman in whom one had konfiantza or trust. Speaker Biography: NOKA is a trio composed of Andréa Bidart, Begoña Echeverria, and Cathy Petrissans, the daughters and granddaughters of Basque immigrants who grew up together in Chino, California. They are members of the Chino Basque club and were raised speaking and singing in Basque. In 1997, they formed the singing trio NOKA and have since recorded three albums and toured internationally. In this concert they are joined by Mikel Markez a poet, singer, and songwriter from Errenteria, Gipuzkoa, Spain. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7502

July 21, 2016. A concert by the Ingramettes, one of Virginia's premier gospel ensembles. The family Gospel group was founded in the 1960s in Richmond, Virginia by the late Maggie Ingram. This is the group's first performance without her. This performance includes singers Rev. Almeta Ingram-Miller (Ingram's daughter), Cheryl Maroney Beaver (Ingram's granddaughter), Carrie Ann Jackson, and background vocalist LeChelle Johnson. The musicians are Calvin "Kool Aid" Curry (bass), Kenneth Heath (keyboards) and Randall Kort (percussionist). Speaker Biography: For more than five decades, the Ingramettes have been bringing their music and ministry to congregations in the Tidewater and Piedmont areas of Virginia. Their commanding, spirit-filled performances demonstrate the extraordinary depth of talent in American gospel music. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7503

April 20, 2016. A performance by internationally acclaimed "Queen of Romani Songs", Esma Redžepova. During this Homegrown concert, Sani Rifati led an informal participatory dance. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7442

May 6, 2016. This Homegrown concert with Soumya Chakraverty and Devapriya Nayak featured the usage of traditional Hindu string and percussion instruments. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7443

Oct. 16, 2015. Composer Michael Hersch and Kay Redfield Jamison of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine discussed the role of mood disorders in poetry, as well as Hersch's Library of Congress commission "Carrion-Miles to Purgatory." For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7437

March 31, 2016. Dakin Hart discussed Martha Graham and Isamu Noguchi's explorations of the archetypal spaces of myth, including the American west, the Minotaur's labyrinth and the "cave of the heart." Speaker Biography: Dakin Hart is a senior curator at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, New York. He previously served as an independent curator and researcher, assistant director of the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, and has organized a retrospective of Davi Det Hompson that was on view at the ZieherSmith Gallery in New York. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7426

July 7, 2016. The 86-year-old Malawian musician, Giddes Chalamanda, performed his music for the first time in America at the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7441

Feb. 11, 2016. Ted Gioia discussed the history of love songs in the human experience, ranging from ancient civilizations to current popular culture. Speaker Biography: Ted Gioia is an acclaimed author whose books include "Love Songs: The Hidden History," "How to Listen to Jazz," and "The History of Jazz." He served as founding president, editor, and resident blogger for jazz.com, and is a recipient of the ASCA-Deems Taylor Award. His book "Delta Blues" was one of the 100 most notable books of 2008, according to the New York Times. Gioia is also a jazz pianist and had a distinguished career in business and finance. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7427

April 1, 2016. Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg discusses his career and his Library of Congress/Martha Graham Dance Company co-commission, "Woodland," with Nicholas Brown. Set "Notturno for strings and harp" by Irving Fine, "Woodland" was commissioned for the 90th anniversary season of "Concerts from the library of Congress." Part of the "Martha Graham at the Library" Festival and presented in association with the Embassy of Sweden and Swedish Arts Council. Speaker Biography: Pontus Lidberg is a Swedish choreographer, filmmaker and dancer. His dance works have been performed by ensembles such as Pontus Lidberg Dance, the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, Balletboyz, SemperOper Ballet Dresden and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. His film, "Labyrinth Within," was named Best Picture at Lincoln Center's "Dance on Camera" Festival. Speaker Biography: Nicholas Brown is a specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7411

Jan. 23, 2015. Anne McLean discussed the history of the Concerts from the Library of Congress series, which has included concerts, lectures, symposia, and major radio broadcast projects since 1925. The lecture also provided an overview of the 90th anniversary season of the series. Speaker Biography: Anne McLean is a senior producer for concerts and special projects in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7408

May 19, 2016. As part of EU Month of Culture, Leonard Schmieding discusses the influence and role of hip hop music and culture in East Germany during the Cold War with Nicholas Brown. Speaker Biography: Leonard Schmieding, Ph.D, is a DAAD, Visiting Researcher, BMW Center for German and European Studies, Georgetown University. He has also served as a research fellow at the German Historical Institute. He studied History, American Studies, and English in Freiburg im Breisgau, Bloomington (Indiana), and Leipzig. In 2011, he received his PhD in History from the University of Leipzig. His dissertation on hip-hop culture in the German Democratic Republic between 1983 and 1990 was awarded the Rolf-Kentner-Prize of the Heidelberg Center for American Studies for the best dissertation in the field of American Studies in 2012. Speaker Biography: Nicholas Brown is a specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7410

April 2, 2016. Conductor Aaron Sherber of the Martha Graham Dance Company and Library staff discuss the art of composing for dance, as reflected in Library of Congress dance commissions and collections. Part of the Martha Graham at the Library festival, which featured performances of works by Martha Graham and Pontus Lidberg. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7399

April 15, 2016. Composer Maria Schneider discusses her Library of Congress commission, "Data Lords," with Larry Appelbaum of the Music Division. "Data Lords," made possible by the Reva and David Logan Foundation, was premiered at the Library by the Maria Schneider Orchestra on April 15, 2016. Speaker Biography: Maria Schneider is an award-winning jazz composer and big band leader. She has received multiple Grammy awards, including the 2016 award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album (for "The Thompson Fields," a collaboration with David Bowie). Schneider has received commissions from the Library of Congress, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others. Her album, "Concert in the Garden" (2004), was the first recording to receive a Grammy after being released solely online. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7401

March 11, 2016. An interview with composer Brian Ferneyhough and conductor James Baker about the composer's Library of Congress commission, "Contraccolpi," which was premiered by the Talea Ensemble in the Coolidge Auditorium on March 11, 2016. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7397

April 19, 2016. Abdullah Ibrahim talks with Larry Appelbaum about jazz as part of the Library of Congress Jazz Scholars program. Speaker Biography: A onetime protege of Duke Ellington, Abdullah 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. Ibrahim served as an inaugural Library of Congress Jazz Scholar during the 2015-2016 concert season, presented in association with the Reva and David Logan Foundation. Speaker Biography: Larry Appelbaum is a reference specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7374

April 22, 2016. Abdullah Ibrahim talks with Dan Morgenstern about jazz as part of the Library of Congress Jazz Scholars program. Speaker Biography: A onetime protege of Duke Ellington, Abdullah 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. Ibrahim served as an inaugural Library of Congress Jazz Scholar during the 2015-2016 concert season, presented in association with the Reva and David Logan Foundation. Speaker Biography: Jazz guru Dan Morgenstern is legendary for his jazz criticism and scholarship. As the former editor of "DownBeat" magazine, Morgenstern's work set the bar for contemporary jazz studies. Morgenstern served as an inaugural Library of Congress Jazz Scholar during the 2015-2016 concert season, presented in association with the Reva and David Logan Foundation. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7371

Nov. 17, 2015. James Wintle discusses Elizabethan poetry and music in the collections of the Library's Music Division. This pre-concert lecture was presented in conjunction with a concert featuring mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, lutenist Thomas Dunford, and keyboardist Jonathan Cohen. Speaker Biography: James Wintle is a music reference specialist at the Library of Congress. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7367