Sibley celebrates its centennial

The Eastman School of Music’s famed Sibley Library will celebrate its centennial on Oct. 6. In conjunction with this celebration, Eastman’s Dean and Director has asked famed composer Dominick Argento to write a piece for the celebration. The Pulitzer and Grammy winning composer received his Ph.D. from Eastman in 1958.Eastman’s Hanson Institute commissioned the piece that Argento has written for the centennial celebration, “Four Seascapes for Chorus and Orchestra,” for American Music. The piece incorporates texts by such literary figures as Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Henry James and Thorton Wilder.The world premiere of “Four Seascapes for Chorus and Orchestra” will take place at 8 p.m. on Oct. 16 in the Eastman Theatre. This concert will be one of the first in the newly renovated Eastman Theatre.Eastman Choral Director William Weiner will lead the Eastman-Rochester Chorus, the Eastman Chorale and the Eastman Philharmonia in the performance. The concert will also feature the Philharmonia, conducted by Neil Varon performing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Eastman will also use this concert to formally recognize the 150th anniversary of its founder, George Eastman. The Sibley Music Library, which was founded by Hiram Watson Sibley in 1904, is the largest and most comprehensive academic music library in the Americas. It holds nearly 750,000 items. With its vast collection of books, recordings and original documents, the library draws music scholars and performers from all over the world. The library’s special collections include more than 150,000 rare items, letters and photographs including original manuscripts from composers such as Claude Debussy. The audio archive contains recordings of Eastman performances dating back to the 1930s.Sibley’s centennial celebration will be celebrated over two weekends. The second weekend runs simultaneously with the New York State/Ontario Chapter meeting of the Music Library Association. In conjunction with these two events many guest lectures and other programs will be presented.Gorode can be reached atkgorode@campustimes.org.