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.

Martha Graham Dance Company 

In April of 2016, the Martha Graham Dance Company presented three performances in our festival week, offering a trio of the five Graham ballets commissioned by the Library: Appalachian Spring (music by Aaron Copland); Cave of the Heart (music by Samuel Barber) and Dark Meadow (music by Carlos Chávez).

Conversation with Pontus Lidberg

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.

Bibliodiscotheque Symposium, featuring Gloria Gaynor

As part of the series, the Library explored the history of disco music, dance and culture in an afternoon symposium that featured appearances by Gloria Gaynor, Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, distinguished music scholars Martin Scherzinger and Alice Echols, photographer Bill Bernstein, and Yolanda Baker, the only disco ball maker in the United States.

Mark Padmore, tenor | Andrew West, piano

English tenor Mark Padmore is one of the most revered artists on the international touring scene, and was recognized with the 2016 Musical America Vocalist of the Year Award. Padmore’s exquisite artistry was on display in an intimate evening for voice and piano. He was joined by frequent recital partner pianist Andrew West who has collaborated with the likes of Florian Boesch, Alice Coote, and Roderick Williams, and is on faculty at the Royal Academy of Music.

Musicians from Marlboro

Alexi Kenney, violin  |  Robin Scott, violin  |
Shuangshuang Liu, viola
Peter Stumpf, cello  |  Zoltán Fejérvári, piano

The Viennese schools were well-represented in this season’s final appearance of the Musicians from Marlboro. In addition to several classics by old friends, we heard a comparably expansive early quartet by Anton Webern, a composer renowned for his economy of means. The manuscript of Webern’s 1905 quartet is housed in the Hans Moldenhauer Archive in the Library of Congress.

Presented in association with the Bill and Mary Meyer Concert Series of the Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Galleries

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival:
Orion String Quartet, Brett Dean, Tony Arnold, and Juho Pohjonen

Orion String Quartet
Brett Dean, viola   |  Tony Arnold, soprano  |  Juho Pohjonen, piano

This concert highlighted the music of Australian composer and violist Brett Dean, who premiered a new work for viola and piano—a Library co-commission—with Juho Pohjonen.  His arresting monodrama “And once I played Ophelia” featured the remarkable soprano Tony Arnold as protagonist. Striking, imaginative effects in both vocal and string writing sketched a passionate figure the composer calls a “feistier” Ophelia. The manuscript for Schoenberg’s second quartet was given to the Library of Congress by Gertrude Clarke Whittall.

Presented in association with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival

Pérez, Cohen, Potter Quintet with Larry Grenadier and Nate Smith

The Pérez, Cohen, Potter Quintet is a new collaborative project by a remarkable trio of bandleaders: pianist and composer Danilo Pérez, trumpeter Avishai Cohen and über saxophonist Chris Potter. It’s an all-star lineup at the forefront of jazz today. You’ll sense  the chemistry that grew out of the trio's Jazz 100 tour in 2017 celebrating the centennials of Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Thelonious Monk and hear some great new compositions written especially for this tour.

The Saiyuki Trio with Rudresh Mahanthappa, alto saxophone

“ …daring and rewarding fusion…a genuinely international music.”
The New York Times

This concert brings “sound magic” from a trio whose name means “Journey to the West.” French jazz guitarist Nguyên Lê studied visual arts and philosophy before working with artists like Ornette Coleman, Ray Charles, and Mauricio Kagel. Influences from Jimi Hendrix to the traditional music of Vietnam meld harmonies from East and West to paint “an Asia without borders.”