Tagged Fleisher Collection
Literature Meets Music with Shakespeare Is for Everyone
William Shakespeare is a towering figure in English literature, but his contributions were not limited to written work; he also had a major influence on classical music. A new webinar from the Free Library’s Literature Department…
African American History in the Fleisher Collection
Lately, there has been a resurgence of interest in African Americans' contributions to the classical music genre. Boston Conservatory is set to have a Florence Price Birthday Celebration Concert ; the film Chevalier (released…
Rediscovering Louis Ballard at the Fleisher
The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music team is thrilled about Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra’s latest album, Louis Wayne Ballard : a stunning compilation of recorded performances of Louis W. Ballard’s…
Faces of the Free Library: Meet Mark!
As patrons may know, the Free Library has been expanding staffing efforts throughout the library system in recent months. With all the hiring excitement, there’s a mix of both new and familiar faces in all of the branches, and you…
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage in the Fleisher Collection
The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music at the Free Library of Philadelphia offers a closing theme as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to an end for 2023. As we share a sampling of the rich cultural…
Confession: I’m an Accidental Music Librarian
Hi, my name is Gillian and I’m an accidental music librarian. Specifically, I’m an accidental orchestral music librarian. I recently joined the staff of The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music (Fleisher…
The ABCs of the WPA at FLP
As part of his bold New Deal aimed at national reform and recovery in the wake of the Great Depression , President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched the Work Projects Administration (WPA) . The federally funded program focused on putting…
Finding "Nonno"
In addition to offering patrons ever-growing Digital Collections , dozens of research databases , and a rich variety of genealogic resources , the Free Library and the Special Collections Division deliver an exceptional customer…
Going Under COVID: How the Shows Still Go On
by Dr. Gary Galván In early March 2020, orchestras around the world began contacting the Fleisher Collection to let us know they were canceling concerts for which they had borrowed music. The socio-cultural impact of COVID-19 was…
#SpecialCollectionsAtHome
The Free Library of Philadelphia is home to a myriad of Special Collections . Since mid-March, we have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that those of us who work with the Special Collections, are unable to work…
The Rights and Wrongs of Social Distancing
by Karin S. and Chris B. Social Distancing can be a challenge! It seems like the rules of what you should and shouldn't do are always changing. To help you learn* about the right and wrong ways to do it, a team of Special…
Learning Through Touch: Connecting with Objects in Our Special Collections
In a recent CNN article titled, "Why touching art is so tempting — and exciting," Fiona Candlin, a professor of museology at Birkbeck College in London and author of Art, Museums, and Touch , argues that…
#5WomenArtists from Our Special Collections
Can you name five women artists off the top of your head? (Not counting Frida Kahlo or Georgia O’Keeffe.) Try. Surprised if you can’t? Don’t be. It happens. But let us help you achieve this goal... In March of…
Fleisher Discoveries | #5WomenArtists (+1)
by Kile Smith The National Museum of Women in the Arts asked, "Can you name five women artists?" March is Women’s History Month , and Fleisher Discoveries is answering that question with five women composers –…
Fleisher Discoveries | Mahler's Friend, Julius Bittner
Julius Bittner was born in Vienna in 1874, growed up just outside of his hometown, and died in that same town in January 1939. He was pretty much immediately forgotten after his death. Well, in 1939, Austria, Europe, and the world at…
Fleisher Discoveries | William Henry Fry (1813-1864) - Santa Claus: Christmas Symphony
As we go to air it’s the beginning of January, which means we’re still in the Christmas season, which also means I have no compunction about playing some Christmas music for you—especially since this is Christmas music…
The Fleisher Collection Debuts a New Music Podcast!
by Kile Smith While this is our first-ever podcast, Discoveries is actually entering its 17th year of broadcasts. In the fall of 2002, the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music at the Free Library of Philadelphia launched Discoveries…
The Fleisher Collection: From Page to Stage to Grammys?
The Recording Academy will hold the 61st Grammy Awards on February 10, 2019. First round voting in October placed two CDs of particular note one step closer to official nominations in two categories: Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble…
Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection: The Young Richard Strauss
Saturday, August 4, 2018, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Richard Strauss (1864–1949). Serenade for Winds (1881) Strauss . Aus Italien (1886) We had a taste of Richard Strauss on our previous episode of Discoveries from the Fleisher…
Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection: MacDowell, Strausses, and 1885
Saturday, July 7, 2018, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825–1899). The Gypsy Baron, Overture 1885) Richard Strauss (1864–1949). Horn Concerto No. 1 (1883) Edward MacDowell (1860–1908). Piano Concerto…