Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by David H. Plylar
New Music | In The Muse
The Welsh Connection: A Gift of Music for America 250 October 2, 2026 Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres The Library of Congress has added a new musical gift from Wales to the collections, presented to mark 250 years of American independence. An excerpt of the work was first performed in the U.S. on September 1 in the Library's historic Coolidge Auditorium, with the score now available in the Library’s digital collections.
Archive: 2026 (43 Posts)
The Welsh Connection: A Gift of Music for America 250 October 2, 2026 Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres The Library of Congress has added a new musical gift from Wales to the collections, presented to mark 250 years of American independence. An excerpt of the work was first performed in the U.S. on September 1 in the Library's historic Coolidge Auditorium, with the score now available in the Library’s digital collections.
America 250 | In The Muse
The Welsh Connection: A Gift of Music for America 250 October 2, 2026 Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres The Library of Congress has added a new musical gift from Wales to the collections, presented to mark 250 years of American independence. An excerpt of the work was first performed in the U.S. on September 1 in the Library's historic Coolidge Auditorium, with the score now available in the Library’s digital collections.
Electronic Music | In The Muse
Steve Horelick and the Buchla 100 September 16, 2026 Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres Andrew Northrop (Film and Media Technician, Slade School of Fine Art, University College London) recounts a recent and reunion between composer Steve Horelick (“Reading Rainbow” theme song) and the Library of Congress’s Buchla 100, and how it connects to one of its former owners, Michael Czajkowski. The post includes a demo video of Horelick playing the Buchla.
Archive: August 2026 (5 Posts)
Making Arrangements: Introducing the Gil Evans Music Manuscripts August 19, 2026 Posted by: Libby Smigel The Gil Evans Music Manuscripts are now available for research in the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room! Evans is one of the greatest arrangers in jazz history, acclaimed for his arrangements, band leadership, and original compositions.
Category: Music for Dance
Discover Martha Graham at the Library of Congress: A New Research Guide September 12, 2025 Posted by: Heather Darnell The Library of Congress Music Division is excited to announce the release of Martha Graham: A Guide to Resources at the Library of Congress, a comprehensive research guide showcasing the Library’s unique resources documenting the life and work of the influential American choreographer.
Library of Congress Announces 2026-27 Concert Season
Guest post by Cat Slowik Library of Congress Announces 2026-27 Concert Season Season commemorates America’s 250th with Audra McDonald, Miles Davis and John Coltrane Centennials, and seven new commissions The Library of Congress returns for the 2026-27 season with an expansive and ambitious lineup traversing six centuries of music.
Early Music | In The Muse
Library of Congress Announces Fall 2024 Centennial Concert Series August 7, 2024 Posted by: Claudia Morales After much anticipation, we are excited to unveil our Fall 2024 Centennial Season, featuring a remarkable lineup of groundbreaking commissions, vibrant musical celebrations, and heartfelt tributes to iconic artists. The 2024-2025 season is the centerpiece of our commemoration of the 100th birthday of Concerts from the Library of Congress.
chamber music | In The Muse
Celebrating Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge and 100 Years of Music at the Library of Congress December 18, 2025 Posted by: Libby Smigel Meet Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge and the story behind 100 years of free concerts in the Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress. Mrs. Coolidge's fascinating life and her support of chamber music in the United States is now fully discoverable through the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation Collection held by Music Division.
Category: Women in Theater
“The Original Radio Girl” and her De Luxe Revue August 2, 2019 Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld Taylor McClaskie is one of the Music Division’s summer 2019 interns. She is a Ph.D. candidate in musicology at Case Western Reserve University and is currently writing a dissertation on music and environmental activism in 1980s America.
Archive: May 2026 (4 Posts)
“The Pop Will Eat Itself”: American Popular Music, Anime and the Archive May 29, 2026 Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres What makes music feel “authentic”—and who decides what is worth preserving? Using the anime "Carole & Tuesday" as a case study, this blog traces how the American singer-songwriter tradition, including Joni Mitchell to Carole King, was canonized through the archival and copyright collections of the Library of Congress and reimagined through Japanese anime for global audiences.
Chorale-ing the Clues: Unraveling the Mystery of the First Piece Performed in the Coolidge Auditorium
It was a pleasure and a privilege to research the 100-year history of Concerts from the Library of Congress as a co-author (with Nicholas Brown-Cáceres) of a new book about the series, entitled “Let the People Hear It: Concerts from the Library of Congress at 100” (Library of Congress, 2026).
Category: Music Division history
“Let the People Hear It” Celebrates 100 Years of Concerts at the Library December 23, 2025 Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres The Library of Congress recently published “Let the People Hear It: Concerts from the Library of Congress at 100” (Library of Congress, 2025). The book provides a visual journey through the history of the Library’s renowned concert series, which was established in 1925 by philanthropist Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge and Carl Engel, then-chief of the Library’s Music Division.
Archive: May 2025 (3 Posts)
New Music Weekend at the Library of Congress May 23, 2025 Posted by: David Plylar As our 100th season enters its last few weeks, we are excited to invite you to a new music weekend, with an enticing pair of concerts featuring new and recently composed music. First, on Friday, May 30 at 8 p.m., loadbang will join us for a concert that will feature three Library of Congress commissions. … Posted in: Commissions, Composers, Concerts and Events, Electronic Music, Instrumentalists, Musicians, New Music
Reminder: March 12, 2025 Ticket Release for Concerts from the Library of Congress
*** Registrations for May-June 2025 events will be available starting at 10 a.m. EST on Wednesday, March 12, 2025*** The 100th season of Concerts from the Library of Congress continues with an exciting lineup of concerts through June 2025. Tickets for May and June events will be available starting at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March, 12. Tickets for March and April events are already available, and you can view the entire list of upcoming concerts here, or check out the listings below.
Archive: June 2024 (4 Posts)
A Summer Music Odyssey June 24, 2024 Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer The following is a guest post by 2024 Junior Fellow Jacob LaBarge. I am Jacob’s project mentor for the project Mind the Gap: Taking Stock of Contemporary Composer Voices with the assistance of Music Specialist David Plylar. Jacob’s objective this summer is to inventory the Music Division’s holdings of select published contemporary music scores through … Posted in: Guest bloggers, New Music
Worthwhile Diversions
The Zéphyros Winds will be joined by Audrey Andrist tomorrow (June 15, 2024) in a concert of mid-century works featuring the music of Irving Fine, whose collection resides at the Library of Congress. As an advocate of the wind quintet medium, I am particularly excited that this program will include the premiere of a new transcription for wind quintet of Irving Fine’s “Diversions,” of which he made two versions: one for piano and one for orchestra.
Archive: January 2024 (4 Posts)
Annegret Fauser and Tim Carter Fellowship at the Library of Congress Music Division January 19, 2024 Posted by: Cait Miller In 2024, the Music Division will launch a new fellowship, the Annegret Fauser and Tim Carter Research Fellowship, to ensure support for post-doctoral (or equivalent) researchers of any nationality engaging in projects centered on collections held within the Library’s Music Division.
Archive: December 2023 (6 Posts)
Rebel Music Publisher, Honest John Playford at 400! December 5, 2023 Posted by: Heather Darnell The following is a guest post by Music Division Reference Librarian Dr. Stacey Jocoy. If you know the tunes to ”Greensleeves,” ”Lillibullero,” or just about any traditional British tune, you should thank John Playford (1623-1687). Known today primarily for the Playford Dances—originally published as ”The English Dancing Master” in 1650/1, Playford was the most important … Posted in: Uncategorized
Archive: 2023 (35 Posts)
Be a 2024 Junior Fellow in the Music Division! November 17, 2023 Posted by: Libby Smigel Are you an undergraduate, graduate, or recently graduated higher education student? If you’re also a U.S. citizen, check out the two unique 2024 Junior Fellows projects our staff have put together for this summer! Fellowships are paid full-time positions for 10 weeks. I’m excited to lead the in-person project Mind the Gap: Taking Stock of … Posted in: Dance, New Music
Concerts from the Library of Congress: Announcing the Winter/Spring 2024 Season
It is a great pleasure to announce the winter/spring 2024 events of Concerts from the Library of Congress—we have prepared a broad array of concerts, conversations, lectures and films that we are excited to share with you. With 27 events and more to come, there is something for everyone.
Archive: October 2023 (4 Posts)
Baseball Beats: Music for the Fall Classic October 27, 2023 Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres We have several serious baseball fans here in the Music Division. At least several members of our team root for the current hometown Washington Nationals (“N-A-T-S, Nats, Nats, Nats, woo!”), the neighboring Baltimore Orioles (“Let’s Go, O’s!”), and the handful of New England transplants are ardent Boston Red Sox fans.
Archive: August 2023 (4 Posts)
Red, White & Royal Love Song August 11, 2023 Posted by: Heather Darnell The following is a guest post by Music Division Assistant Chief, Nicholas Brown. In honor of this Saturday’s National Book Festival, the Music Division is pleased to share a page-to-screen tidbit relating to the new romantic comedy film “Red, White & Royal Blue” (Prime, 2023) that is being released on August 11, 2023. Based on … Posted in: Composers, Film Music, Musical Theater, Theater, Vocalists
Archive: June 2023 (3 Posts)
Join us for our Salute to Strayhorn, June 8-10, 2023 June 7, 2023 Posted by: David Plylar We are delighted that our Salute to Strayhorn, a festival of events dedicated to the life and work of Billy Strayhorn, will take place in multiple venues at the Library of Congress from June 8-10. These events have been delayed for years due to forces beyond our control, but at last we will be returning … Posted in: African American History, Composers, Concerts and Events, Film Music, Jazz, LGBTQ+, Musicians
Archive: March 2023 (1 Post)
Concerts from the Library of Congress: March 2023 Events March 20, 2023 Posted by: David Plylar The repairs in the Coolidge Auditorium are ongoing, and we are thankful for the flexibility of our artists and audiences as we strive to present all that we can in alternative venues. After the success of our two February events that took place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Concerts from the Library of Congress is … Posted in: Concerts and Events, Jazz, New Music
Archive: February 2023 (3 Posts)
(St.) Mark Your Calendars! February 6, 2023 Posted by: David Plylar This week Concerts from the Library of Congress will feature three wonderful groups visiting from abroad. Unfortunately at the close of 2022 the Coolidge Auditorium suffered a flood that has rendered it unusable until all repairs are made. This means that, for now, NONE of our upcoming winter/spring events will be held in the Coolidge … Posted in: Concerts and Events
Music for Men’s Chorus at the Library of Congress
As someone may have once said, a men’s chorus concert camer-oughta have happened by now, and we agree! After three years of rescheduling, we are pleased to finally present the Washington Men’s Camerata in a performance that features some unique offerings. The Library of Congress holds the manuscripts for a number of the pieces they performed in its collections, and you will be able to see some of those images in the concert video for this virtual event.
(St.) Mark Your Calendars!
This week Concerts from the Library of Congress will feature three wonderful groups visiting from abroad. Unfortunately at the close of 2022 the Coolidge Auditorium suffered a flood that has rendered it unusable until all repairs are made. This means that, for now, NONE of our upcoming winter/spring events will be held in the Coolidge Auditorium. In the meantime, we have been busy finding alternative venues for some events, and postponing others.
Archive: September 2022 (7 Posts)
A Fragmented History in the Giant Bible of Mainz September 19, 2022 Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon In the following guest post, Music Division Archives Processing Technician Dr. Rachel McNellis investigates a musical connection within the recently digitized Giant Bible of Mainz from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division. On April 4, 1952, Lessing J. Rosenwald donated an exquisite treasure to the Library of Congress: the Giant Bible of Mainz. The … Posted in: Sacred music
Concerts from the Library of Congress Announces Fall 2022 Concert Series
It feels great to be able to announce the full return of Concerts from the Library of Congress to the Coolidge Auditorium! We have a wonderful series planned for you this year, to be revealed in two parts. You can read the press release for the fall segment here.
Archive: August 2022 (4 Posts)
August 29, 2022 Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon A bite of songs about summertime food from Music Division Archivist Anita M. Weber. Posted in: Sheet Music August 26, 2022 Posted by: Heather Darnell Exploring hate mail to music greats Henry Mancini, Jascha Heifetz, and Leonard Bernstein Posted in: Musicians, Special Collections August 22, 2022 Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon Melissa Capozio Jones explores Ross Lee Finney's questionnaire to composers during World War II.
Announcing the newly updated Franz Liszt at the Library of Congress digital collection
It is with great pleasure that we announce a newly available online resource at the Library of Congress: the entirety of the Music Division’s primary sources and first editions authored by or related to Franz Liszt have been scanned and can now be researched from home! For people like me and Lisztians around the world, this is welcome news. Since its establishment the Music Division had the prescience to see the rich research value of Liszt as a composer and cultural phenomenon.
George Crumb: From the Faraway, Goodbye
George Crumb. Ancient Voices of Children, 1970. Holograph manuscript. Coolidge Foundation Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress The music world lost a unique and significant voice with the passing of American composer George Crumb on Sunday, February 6, 2022. An innovative and positive force in music whose career spanned some seven decades, Crumb wrote music of great vision, depth and theatricality.
Archive: June 2021 (7 Posts)
Béla Bartók’s Early Works and His Student Etelka Freund June 16, 2021 Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon The following is a guest post from Archives Processing Technician Dr. Rachel McNellis.
Frederic Rzewski: “Life is a Riddle”
We were saddened to learn of the passing of composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski on June 26, 2021. He was an extraordinary figure in the musical world, perhaps best known for his piano music—his monumental composition The People United Will Never Be Defeated is surely one of the most significant variation sets of the last half-century, and his composition of piano music in particular continued at an astonishing rate, especially in recent years.
Archive: September 2020 (5 Posts)
Announcing the 2020-2021 Season of Concerts from the Library of Congress September 2, 2020 Posted by: David Plylar The 2020-2021 season of Concerts from the Library of Congress will be all-virtual, in an unprecedented move to safely offer music and lectures to the public.
Archive: May 2020 (8 Posts)
Happy 125th Birthday to William Grant Still! May 11, 2020 Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer Mississippi-born composer William Grant Still (1895-1978) holds a significant place in the history of American music, and May 11, 2020 is his 125th birthday! I hope that this birthday blog post piques your interest about the many research possibilities in the Music Division about William Grant Still. Posted in: African American History, Birthdays, Composers
Archive: March 2020 (6 Posts)
Spring-Themed Online Music Challenge March 26, 2020 Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer An undeniable musical trend during social distancing right now is the wealth of online music making. In the spirit of music keeping us together while we’re apart, I propose a Spring-Themed Online Music Challenge! Use the sheet music I recommend in this blog post about spring and flowers from the Music Division’s digital collections, make videos, and tag us on social media. Posted in: Sheet Music, Special Collections
Archive: February 2020 (6 Posts)
Happy Birthday to Heifetz and Kreisler! February 1, 2020 Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer Did you know that two of the most famous violinists in history - Jascha Heifetz and Fritz Kreisler - are birthday twins? On Feb. 2, 2020, it will be Heifetz's 119th birthday and Kreisler's 145th birthday. You can engage with both of their legacies right here in the Music Division. Posted in: Birthdays, Musicians, Special Collections
Archive: January 2020 (5 Posts)
Happy Birthday Chris Potter January 2, 2020 Posted by: Larry Appelbaum Every generation has its saxophone heroes in jazz: Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane all continue to inspire players in every style on just about every instrument. One of the great saxophonists and multi-instrumentalists of this generation is the Chicago-born, Columbia, South Carolina-raised Chris Potter. For the past three decades he’s been drawing … Posted in: Birthdays, Jazz, Musicians
Archive: October 2019 (8 Posts)
Refined by: (Year) 2019; (Month) October Not the Suite, but Not “Complete”: What to Call the Hybrid Version of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring October 30, 2019 Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld From his Appalachian Spring ballet score for thirteen instruments (1944), Aaron Copland extracted an orchestral suite in 1945. A third configuration, requested by Eugene Ormandy in 1954, combines elements of both suite and ballet.
Archive: July 2019 (5 Posts)
The Bride’s Dilemma: Wedding Music July 12, 2019 Posted by: Cait Miller With my own wedding approaching later this month, I join the ranks of summer brides with visions of flower arrangements dancing in my head. If there’s one aspect of the occasion that I took most seriously when I began planning the ceremony, it was definitely the music (naturally!). There are the traditional selections, of course: … Posted in: Sheet Music
Archive: June 2019 (7 Posts)
Thinking About Eric Dolphy On His Birthday June 20, 2019 Posted by: Larry Appelbaum He was only 36 when he died in Berlin in 1964, but the gifted, avant-garde innovator Eric Dolphy (June 20, 1928-June 29, 1964) helped change the landscape for jazz improvisers through his collaborations with John Coltrane, Gunther Schuller, Charles Mingus and his own projects.
Archive: April 2019 (6 Posts)
Refined by: (Year) 2019; (Month) April 80 Years Later: Music from the 1939 New York World’s Fair April 29, 2019 Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer On the 80th anniversary of the opening of the 1939 New York World's Fair, discover primary sources in the Music Division that played starring roles in it all.
Archive: 2018 (55 Posts)
Results: 1 - 9 of 55 | Refined by: (Year) 2018 Auld Lang Syne: Sharing a “Cup of Kindness” with Old Friends December 29, 2018 Posted by: Cait Miller The following is a guest post from Music Reference Specialist James Wintle.
Archive: December 2018 (5 Posts)
Seasons’ Greetings from the Grinch December 21, 2018 Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld Every year when December arrives, I find the urge to re-watch the classic animated film, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Its themes centered in kindness and giving have always resonated with me most each holiday season. Originally written by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel and published in 1957, the 1966 special features a narration by Boris … Posted in: Composers, Film Music, Holidays
Archive: October 2018 (5 Posts)
Cooking Up History: Ballet Theatre Belly-Busters October 29, 2018 Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld In 1979, the corps de ballet of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) went on strike in a wage dispute. The newest members of the corps, the lowest-ranking dancers in the company, only made $235 a week—$869 in 2018 dollars. Many principal and solo dancers in the ABT supported the corps. In an article for People … Posted in: Food, Special Collections
Archive: July 2018 (7 Posts)
Refined by: (Year) 2018; (Month) July July 24, 2018 Posted by: Larry Appelbaum A deep bow of respect for pianist, composer, bandleader and jazz activist Billy Taylor on what would be his 97th birthday. He was born in North Carolina but grew up in Washington, D.C. and studied with Henry Grant, who taught Duke Ellington a generation before.
Archive: May 2018 (5 Posts)
Women Composers Hidden in Plain Sight May 30, 2018 Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer Greetings, readers! This is my first blog post as a Music Reference Specialist at the Library of Congress. One of the most exciting aspects of joining the staff of the world’s largest music library is to become familiar with the vast scope of resources we hold. After an orientation to the Prints and Photographs Division … Posted in: Composers, Special Collections, Women in Music
Archive: April 2018 (4 Posts)
OrchKids at the Library of Congress April 6, 2018 Posted by: David Plylar The following is a guest post by Anne McLean of the Music Division.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with David H.
Contact David H., search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack