Meet Jared Rex, the Boston Public Library's Curator of Music in Special Collections. In this role, Jared stewards and manages the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections related to the field of music, including manuscript and printed scores, first editions and rare volumes, song sheets, and performance editions.

This year, in celebration of conductor Serge Koussevitzky’s birth and the centennial of his appointment as BSO music director, Jared shared that his team has digitized 109 annotated and manuscript scores, 241 photographs, and cataloged 541 scores in the BPL’s online catalog for the Serge Koussevitzky Collection. This involved a meticulous process of cataloging annotated scores, which even required creating controlled vocabularies to standardize the description of annotations. 

In a recent video produced by the Associates of the Boston Public Library, Jared walks us through highlights from the Special Collections Lobby exhibit he curated, Living in Music: Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which will be open until March 2025. 

Interested in learning more?
Attend the Associates' 6th Pierce Performance Series, 150 Years of Koussevitzky. Join us on November 19, 2024 at the Boston Public Library to attend Koussevitky, Musician, which will include a discussion on Koussevitzky’s origins as a double bass virtuoso and impresario, with WCRB’s Brian McCreath and BSO Principal Bass Edwin Barker. The program will include a performance by Mr. Barker of selections from Koussevitzky’s legendary 1929 Boston recital, including, Deux Morceaux, Op. 1, Chanson triste, Op. 2, and Concerto for Double Bass, Op. 3. Reserve free tickets here.

Supporting the Special Collections at the Boston Public Library

The Associates of the Boston Public Library play a vital role in funding Jared's work and numerous curation and digitization projects. Through our grant of over a million dollars annually to support the preservation of the BPL’s Special Collections, we ensure these invaluable materials remain accessible for future generations. To help continue this important work, consider contributing to the Associates. Together, we can preserve the past for the future.

Donate here.