2024 Pierce Performance: 150 Years of Koussevitzky — Night 1 Recap
The Associates of the Boston Public Library kicked off the first of three nights of our sixth annual Pierce Performance Series, 150 Years of Koussevitzky, on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at the Boston Public Library. This annual event aims to highlight treasures in the BPL's Special Collections through free public performances. This year honors the legendary Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor, Serge Koussevitzky. Peruse the digital program here.
Prior to the first performance, the BPL’s Special Collections team held an Open House featuring highlights from the Serge Koussevitzky Collection, which was donated by his widow. The accompanying Lobby exhibit, Living in Music: Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, will be open until March 2025.
The event was a great success, drawing an audience of approximately 175 attendees, including notable figures such as David Leonard, President of the BPL; Anita Lincoln, Chair of the Pierce Performance Series Committee; playwright Lisa Rafferty; Patrick Gabridge, playwright for our 2025 Pierce Performance; Lorie Conway, filmmaker and Associates Board member; Bill Martin, author and former Associates Board member; and Eric Valliere, Artistic Administrator at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, among many others.
The speaking program began with a warm welcome from the Associates' Executive Director, Louisa Bissett, and Board Chair, Alyce Lee, who highlighted Koussevitzky’s significance and enduring influence on classical music.
Next, Associates-funded BPL Curator of Music, Jared Rex, delivered a fascinating lecture on how the Boston Public Library’s Serge Koussevitzky collection documents Koussevitzky’s impact on the music world. Jared delved into highlights of the BPL’s Serge Koussevitzky Collection, which includes annotated scores and the meticulous process of cataloging them, which even involved creating controlled vocabularies to standardize the description of annotations. Jared shared that his team has digitized 109 annotated and manuscript scores, 241 photographs, and cataloged 541 scores in the BPL’s online catalog. A highlight of Jared’s talk was a captivating video that paired audio recordings of Koussevitzky conducting with annotated scores, allowing the audience to both see and hear the conductor's influence on the music.
Following Jared, Bridget Carr, the BSO's Blanche and George Jones Director of Archives and Digital Collections, took the stage to discuss the Serge Koussevitzky collection housed in the BSO’s Archives, including concert programs, recordings, and memorabilia. She also highlighted the BSO's ongoing 2024 tribute to Koussevitzky, which includes concerts, exhibits, and online resources.
As part of the celebration, Jared Rex emphasized the significance of the BSO’s decision to perform Paul Hindemith’s Septet for Winds for the first Pierce Performance. With many of Hindemith’s works, including sketches for his Cello Concerto, preserved in the BSO's collections, the piece was a fitting choice for the occasion. Jared noted Koussevitzky’s profound impact on classical music in the United States, pointing out that while his contributions are often overshadowed by those of his peers, they are deeply woven into the fabric of today's classical music. The 17-minute performance of Hindemith’s piece by BSO musicians captivated the audience with its precision and expressive depth, serving as a powerful reminder of Koussevitzky’s enduring legacy.
The evening concluded with a delightful reception in the BPL’s Guastavino Room, where attendees had the opportunity to mingle with Jared, Bridget, the BSO musicians, and members of the Associates’ Board of Directors and the Pierce Performance Series Committee.
This event would not have been possible without the incredible efforts of the Pierce Performance Series Committee: Anita Lincoln (Chair), Peter Brown, Peter Drummey, Margo Newman Levine, Joan Patton, Lisa Rafferty, and Tom Wolf. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our organizational partners, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, including Amy Aldrich, Bridget Carr, Rena Cohen, Catherine Cooper, Jan Devereux, Christina Dioguardi, Matthew Erikson, Joseph Kamay, Robert Kirzinger, Mark Rulison, Emily Siders, Alex Speir, and Eric Valliere; the Boston Public Library, including President David Leonard, Athena Adams, Amanda Andrews, Robert Cunningham, Trish Dowdall, Mary French, Jay Hamilton, Christopher Letizia, Beth Prindle, Jared Rex, Calder Sell, Deandra Williams, Facilities, and Security; and The Catered Affair for their assistance with this event.
If you missed it, we are delighted to share a condensed recorded version of the event with you.
About the Associates' Pierce Performance Series
The Associates' Pierce Performance Series seeks to raise the visibility of the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections through free public performances and lectures. Thanks to the generosity of the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, this series has commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the Peace Jubilee, explored abolitionists' vital messages, celebrated women's suffrage, and explored the life of Thomas Paine and Phillis Wheatley Peters.
All photos were taken by Nile Hawver.