The Grove Book of Opera Singers

Covering over 1500 singers from the birth of opera to the present day, this marvelous volume will be an essential resource for all serious opera lovers and a companion to the successful Grove Book of Operas. The most comprehensive guide to opera singers ever produced, this volume offers an alphabetically arranged collection of authoritative biographies that range from Marion Anderson to Benedict Zak.

Conservatory Reference ML102.O6 G76 2008

Cleveland Public Library featuring the Oberlin Bassoon Quartet!

The Fine Arts Department is pleased to present the Oberlin Bassoon Quartet (OBQ) on October 31st, 2009 at 2pm in the 3rd floor lobby of the Main Library building (325 Superior Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, 44114). The OBQ will perform works by Boismortier, Dubios, J.S. Bach, Tony Bruno and Peter Schickele. This program is free and open to all ages. For more information call 216-623-2848.

The first Oberlin Conservatory of Music bassoon quartet was formed in 1994 and was called "Firewood". As interest in playing bassoon quartets grew at Oberlin more groups formed. In 2002 another quartet from Oberlin called "The Black Sheep" did a short tour of China and that solidified the trend of playing bassoon quartets at Oberlin. Since 2004 there has always been a group called The Oberlin Bassoon Quartet with rotating personnel. Since 2004 the OBQ has done extensive tours of China and Italy, and has played performances in other music schools around the country.

The members of the current OBQ are 4 sophomore bassoon majors at Oberlin from different parts of the US and abroad:

• Liz Bennett, Colorado
• Shelly Li, China
• Jake Purcell, Washington
• Brittney Walker, Illinois

A Dictionary for the Modern Flutist - New in Reference!

A Dictionary for the Modern Flutist (Con Ref ML 102.F58 M33 2009) by Susan J. Maclagan presents clear and concise definitions of more than 1,500 common flute-related terms that a player of the Boehm-system flute may encounter. Fully illustrated with more than 100 images, the entries contain descriptions of words related to all aspects of the flute: flute types, flute parts, flute repair, playing techniques, acoustics, articulations, intonation, common ornaments, flutemaking, flute history, flute music books, and more.

Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music

On November 13th and 14th, the Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) will be hosting a two-day conference on Black rock on the Indiana University-Bloomington campus.The conference and related activities are open to local and regional musicians, scholars, students, and the general public for a nominal fee.

Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music will bring together Black rock musicians from different generations and regions with music critics and scholars to discuss the socio-political history, musical developments, and the future of Black rock. The main component of the conference will be three panels, each exploring one of the following topics:

1. The conceptualization and origins of Black rock;
2. The politics of Black rock;
3. The face of Black rock in the 21st century.
   

Read more

The Song Decoders at Pandora (NYTimes article)

By ROB WALKER
Published: October 18, 2009 (NYTimes)

On first listen, some things grab you for their off-kilter novelty. Like the story of a company that has hired a bunch of “musicologists,” who sit at computers and listen to songs, one at a time, rating them element by element, separating out what sometimes comes to hundreds of data points for a three-minute tune. The company, an Internet radio service called Pandora, is convinced that by pouring this information through a computer into an algorithm, it can guide you, the listener, to music that you like. The premise is that your favorite songs can be stripped to parts and reverse-engineered. read more

Oberlin Conservatory Library will be closed Friday, October 23, 2009

Due to electrical work involving the Litoff building, the Oberlin Conservatory Library will be closed Friday, October 23, 2009.

The Roderic C. Knight Instrument Collection on DIsplay

The Roderic C. Knight Instrument Collection One of Emeritus Professor of Ethnomusicology, Rod Knight's research interests is organology, or the scientific study of musical instruments. He began collecting instruments already as a high school student and continued throughout his career, regarding instruments as the "trophies" of ethnomusicology, typically returning from field work with his hands full. Stop in the Conservatory Library and see a sampling of his collection. The entire collection, however, may be viewed and searched online.

IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana

IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana is now available through OBIS. IN Harmony is a search and discovery system for accessing sheet music from the Indiana University Lilly Library, the Indiana State Library, the Indiana State Museum, and the Indiana Historical Society. Funded through a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), IN Harmony features Indiana-related sheet music - sheet music by Indiana composers, arrangers, lyricists or publishers as well as sheet music about the state.

Research Guide Mania

This week we added several new research guides to the Conservatory Library Reference Collection.

Franz Liszt : a research and information guide by Michael Saffle Con Ref ML134.L7 S2 2009

Paul Hindemith : a research and information guide by Stephen Luttmann Con Ref ML134.H5 L87 2009

Vincenzo Bellini : a research and information guide by Stephen A. Willier Con Ref ML134.B439 W54 2009





Alban Berg : a research and information guide by Bryan R. Simms

American Viola Society

The American Viola Society (AVS) is an association for the promotion of viola performance and research. Check it out!

As a member of AVS, you can also take part in local activities through membership in the AVS local chapters located across the country.

To see if there is a local chapter in your area, check out the Community pages.