The Library of Congress opens a stellar 81st season of free concerts on Oct. 5, adding special theater and dance events to its traditional emphasis on chamber music. A tribute to composers Jonathan Larson, creator of "Rent"; Benjamin Bagby's one man show "Beowulf"; and spoken-word performance artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph's "The Living Word" will transform the Library's historic Coolidge Auditorium into an intimate performance space.
Woven throughout the 35-event season is the theme of metamorphosis — transformation in music and society and the potent music mix that is the 21st century soundscape. "American Creativity: The Composer," another thematic thread, looks at the intersections of classical music with jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk and world music.
Left, Wu Man, top, who will perform with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists Jan. 24; center, spoken word performance artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who appears March 9; right, cellist Miklós Perenyi, who will perform with András Schiff April 18.
Composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain premieres his Library of Congress McKim Fund commission in March 2007. During the second half of the concert, nine young, multicultural musicians including a disc jockey will join Roumain.
Musical group Opus 21 offers "New Works Inspired by Motown," a collection of works from composers Fred Hersch, Michael Daugherty, Richard Adams, Eve Beglarian and Tom Knific. Motown composer Joe Hunter will accompany the group for the premiere of this exciting work.
Launching a major collaboration with the "Rediscover Northern Ireland Programme" are weeklong residencies for two major Irish performing arts forces: Camerata Ireland, with pianist-conductor Barry Douglas, and the 15-player Brian Irvine Ensemble, an avant-garde orchestra whose members include a sound artist and a rapper.
A Seeger Family Tribute, jointly sponsored by the Library's Music Division and the American Folklife Center, will honor the remarkable legacy of composers and performers who have shaped America's music for three generations. Pete, Mike and Peggy Seeger will perform on March 16 preceded by a symposium and screenings of films by Pete and Toshi Seeger.
Continuing the Library's musical journey begun with Thomas Hampson's "Song of America" 11-city national vocal concert tour, several performances will spotlight male choral singing in the United States. Concerts by Chanticleer and Cantus showcase American composers from Stephen Foster, Leonard Bernstein and Henry Cowell to Carlos Sánchez Gutiérrez, Steven Stucky, Gordon Lightfoot and Smokey Robinson. Canada's Nathaniel Dett Chorale performs classical compositions, spirituals, jazz and pop compositions by distinguished African American composers.
Season Highlights
- Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists perform music by Tan Dun, Toru Takemitsu and Hikaru Hayashi. Soloist Wu Man performs Tan Dun's Concerto for "pipa," a plucked Chinese stringed instrument
- The Luciana Souza Quartet appearing with guitarist Romero Lubambo in Brazilian Duos
- A spectacular group of string quartets that includes the Mandelring, Euclid, Cassatt, Enso, Aron, Jerusalem and Borromeo, plus a special Robert Mann and Friends quartet evening
- Music from the Bard Festival, a symposium and concert from the 2006 Bard Festival of Music, "Franz Liszt and His World"
- Sangam means "confluence and coming together," and perfectly describes this trio of virtuosos. Jazz meets world music in saxophonist Charles Lloyd's trio with percussionist partners tabla player Zakir Hussain and Eric Hartley on piano and drums
- Bill Charlap Trio with Sandy Stewart performing jazz and the Great American Songbook are the fare in this rare mother-and-son double bill
- The Venice Baroque Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment - The Library becomes a salon this season with a newly expanded series of pre-concert presentations exploring the theme of metamorphosis, and examining the connections between the concert series and the rich Library of Congress collections. Sample topics include Schoenberg and Kandinsky and a discussion about Stradivari's cellos. Distinguished critics Tim Page (The Washington Post) and Joseph Horowitz ("Classical Music in America") give their perspectives on the state of classical music today.
All Library of Congress concerts and other public programs are presented free to the public but require tickets for admission. Tickets are distributed by TicketMaster at (301) 808-6900, (410) 752-1200 or, for out-of-state residents, (800) 551-7328. Unless otherwise noted, all concerts will be at 8 p.m. and held in the Coolidge Auditorium, on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E. For further information on Concerts from the Library of Congress, please call the Concert Information Line at (202) 707-5502.
For a complete concert schedule and ticket information, go to www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert/0607-schedule.html.
