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Library of Congress Announces a Season of Extraordinary Artists

The 2013-2014 Concerts from the Library of Congress lineup will exhibit a wide range of programming this season, offering free concerts of world-class chamber music, jazz, bluegrass, country, American music theater, pop, rock and electronica. The concerts are complemented by guest speakers, curators, panels, film screenings and displays of rarely seen manuscripts, letters and memorabilia from the Library’s holdings. Concerts kick off Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m. with a performance by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Randy Newman.
 
The Library’s 88th concert season celebrates American history and culture through performances by some of the nation’s most eloquent musicians, including Rosanne Cash, who comes to the Library for a three-day residency that includes a live debut of her new album “The River and the Thread,” and a conversation with Natasha Trethewey, U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. Other highlights, continuing the Library’s “Songs of America” project begun last season, include appearances by bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent, the Steep Canyon Rangers, Gregory Porter, and a special talk by rock legend Graham Nash about his new autobiography, available for purchase at the Library a day before it is released worldwide.
 
The Library commemorates the 200th birthdays of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner with a special series of performances and films that feature re-imaginings of their work. Preeminent scholar Alan Walker joins pianist Valerie Tryon in a talk and performance about Wagner and Verdi transcriptions and paraphrases, including some on display from the Library’s collections. Acclaimed author Alex Ross will explore Wagner’s connections to America and African-American Wagnerism. Two films will be screened as part of this special series, including the U.S. premiere of “Richard Wagner: Venetian Diary of the Rediscovered Symphony,” which draws on music held at the Library of Congress.
 
Contemporary music is highlighted this season with major new commissions and performances by leading ensembles. Renowned composer and conductor Oliver Knussen is in residence for a week of performances by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.
 
Numerous special projects illuminate a variety of topics, including the first in a projected series of Music and Technology talks presented in collaboration with Stanford University. Other special projects include a vocal recital featuring Italian-American composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s settings of poetry by Walt Whitman; a roundtable discussion about the music that came to shape American culture during the 1960s, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington; a “correspondence” course by author Nigel Simeone, author of “The Leonard Bernstein Letters”; a special July program for educators by Thomas Hampson titled “Poets and Patriotism: The 200th Birthday of the Star-Spangled Banner”; and a birthday bash panel discussion on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Blue Note Records label.
 
The Concerts from the Library of Congress series is made possible through the generous support of endowments given to the Library by private donors. The series is presented free of charge to the public but requires tickets for admission. Tickets for Coolidge Auditorium events are distributed by TicketMaster at (202) 397-7328, (410) 547-7328 and (703) 573-7328. Various ticketing service charges apply. Tickets for events presented at the Atlas Performing Arts Center are available through the Atlas box office at (202) 399-7993 or www.atlasarts.org.

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