The original scores, clippings, correspondence and ephemera in this collection document the lives and careers of Harry Lawrence, Carlotta, and Valdo Freeman, a family of African-American performing artists involved in opera, theatre, and music in early-twentieth-century New York.
Jack Beeson (1921-2010) was a noted twentieth-century American composer, professor of composition, and the chair of the Columbia University Department of Music from 1968 to 1972. The collection includes scores, correspondence, subject files, scrapbooks, datebooks, drafts of written works, biographical materials, programs, and audio and audiovisual recordings.
New York City Opera records, 1924-2019, bulk 1965-1991215 linear feet Box 1-231 Processed: 148 record cartons, 61 manuscript boxes, 13 XL flat boxes, 5 small flat boxes, 2 LP boxes, 2 CD boxes, 1 oversize mapcase folder, 4 OS mounted standing posters, and 3 costumes189 linear feet Unprocessed: 185 record cartons, 2 tube boxes, 14 hard drives with 35 TB of digitized material
Creator
New York City Opera
Abstract Or Scope
New York City Opera (NYCO) was famously dubbed "The People's Opera" by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia at its founding in 1943. The Opera company's mission is to inspire audiences with innovative and theatrically compelling opera at an affordable price. This collection documents the artistic productions and the daily administrative functions and operations attest to the mission of the company. The materials in this collection consist of administrative and financial records, production files, stage guides, scores, correspondence, programs, photographs, posters, scenery plans, memorabilia, printed materials, and audio and video recordings, dating from 1924 to 2019, with its bulk dating from 1965 to 1991.