August 18, 2025 Library of Congress Announces Fall 2025 Concert Season

Library of Congress Announces Fall 2025 Concert Season
Season Includes World Premieres of Library Commissions by Sir George Benjamin, Raven Chacon and Larissa Maestro

Concerts from the Library of Congress presents a bold 15-event lineup for the fall 2025 season, wrapping up its successful 18-month centennial celebration with a rich mix of classical, jazz and pop concerts, lectures, conversations and special projects that salute the distinguished history of the series.                                                                        

Commissions by Sir George Benjamin, Raven Chacon and Larissa Maestro continue the Library’s legacy of vigorous support for the creation of contemporary music. On Nov. 14, Benjamin will give the U.S. premiere of his “Divisions” for piano, four-hands, a co-commission of the Pierre Boulez-Saal, the Library and Wigmore Hall, with a friend of many decades, Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Benjamin will return the following evening to speak before a concert by the Grossman Ensemble, which will perform his “At First Light.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning Diné composer Raven Chacon will perform in the Dec. 6  premiere of a commission inspired by his encounters with rare instruments from many cultures in the Library’s collections. On December 3, SistaStrings premieres a commission for violin and piano on Dec. 3 by Filipina-American composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Larissa Maestro, whose compositions span styles from chamber music, ballet scores and popular music.   

“As the Music Division continues to honor the legacy of concert series founder Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, this season affirms the Library’s commitment to inspiring the creators, performers, and audiences of today with distinctive opportunities to discover and enjoy the music of the past and present,” said Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres, acting chief of the Music Division.

A special two-day Founder’s Day celebration on Oct. 29 and 30 honors series benefactor Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, highlighting her interest in early music as well as contemporary works. On Oct. 29, pianist Simone Dinnerstein leads the Baroklyn ensemble in chamber works by J.S. Bach, including a concerto and cantata, prefaced by the Bach chorale performed to open the Coolidge Auditorium a century ago.

On October 29, Brown-Cáceres and Music Specialist David H. Plylar will also discuss their new book: “Let the People Hear It: 100 Years of Concerts from the Library of Congress” during a special preconcert talk. On Oct. 30, the celebrated Mexican classical percussion ensemble Tambuco performs works by Latin American composers including Gabriela Ortiz, Diego Vega, Héctor Infanzón and others. 

Two exceptional jazz events will be presented on Nov. 6 as part of the popular Live! At the Library series. A youthful force on today’s jazz scene, vocalist Ekep Nkwelle will appear with her quartet. And “The Disappearance of Miss Scott,” a documentary on the remarkable life of jazz star and Civil Rights pioneer Hazel Scott – whose papers are held by the Music Division – will be introduced by the artist’s son, Adam Clayton Powell III. On June 18, 2025-2026 Library of Congress Jazz Scholar Lara Pellegrini will give a lecture on the jazz singer Anita O’Day. All events are made possible through the generosity of the Revada Foundation of the Logan family.  

On Dec. 18 and 19 the annual Antonio Stradivari Memorial celebration brings the young, exciting Isidore String Quartetwith guest artists violist Misha Amory and cellist Nina Lee. A major highlight of the season will be their performance of a Brahms sextet on a sextet of Stradivari instruments, including the Library’s recently acquired 1690 Fulton, ex-Baird, Tuscan-Medici viola.

Ticketing

All events are presented free of charge to the public. Fall 2025 events will be listed on the Concerts from the Library of Congress website on Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. ET, with public registration available for October and November events on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 10 a.m. ET. Registration for December events will be available on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 10 a.m. ET. Patrons are encouraged to sign up for the waitlist if an event is sold out to be notified if tickets become available. The Library encourages walk-up patrons who do not have a ticket to come for a RUSH pass, beginning two hours prior to concerts, anticipating that passholders may be admitted based on no-shows and cancellations. Visit loc.gov/concerts for complete ticketing and program information.

Fall 2025 Programs

Friday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m.: Consone Quartet with Kristian Bezuidenhuit, fortepiano

The Consone Quartet and fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout present an evening of Haydn and Mozart, featuring an early piano concerto by Mozart and an arrangement of his quintet for piano and winds. Join for a preconcert conversation with the artists at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m.: Lecture, “Musical Representations of the West During the Silent Film Era: Max Winkler's Score for ‘The Yaqui’ (1916),” Mariana Whitmer, Ph.D.

In a lecture co-presented with the American Musicological Society, independent scholar Mariana Whitmer uses the scenario cue sheets created by Max Winkler to discuss the musical representation of "the West" in silent films.

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m.: Simone Dinnerstein, piano, Jennifer Johnson Cano, voice, Peggy Pearson, oboe, and Baroklyn

Simone Dinnerstein leads the Baroklyn ensemble in an evening of chamber works by J.S. Bach to open a special Founders Day 2025 celebration that marks the Library’s illustrious century-long history as a concert presenter. Join for a preconcert conversation at 6:30 p.m. on a new book: “Let the People Hear It: Concerts from the Library of Congress at 100,” with Music Division co-authors Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres and David H. Plylar.

Thursday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m.: Live! At the Library: Tambuco

The celebrated Grammy-nominated Mexican percussion ensemble Tambuco returns to the Library of Congress for the annual Founder’s Day concert with a dynamic repertoire by Latin American composers, featuring music that ranges from delicately intricate to powerfully expansive. Join for a preconcert conversation with the artists at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 8 p.m.: Valerie Coleman: “Reverie”

"Reverie" honors a cultural exchange with a program pairing the music of Valerie Coleman with works by Ravel, Debussy and Poulenc. Join for a preconcert conversation with the artists at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Thursday, Nov. 6, 5 p.m.: Live! At the Library: Film Screening: “The Disappearance of Miss Scott”  

“The Disappearance of Miss Scott” chronicles Hazel Scott’s meteoric rise as a jazz talent and major Hollywood star. The first African American to have her own television show, she was also an influential civil rights pioneer before being blacklisted during the Red Scare of the 1950s. Adam Clayton Powell III, Hazel Scott’s son, will introduce the screening of the film, produced for PBS’ “American Masters” series. A display of letters, photographs, programs and memorabilia from the Library’s Hazel Scott Papers will be on view. Presented through the generosity of the Revada Foundation of the Logan family.

Thursday, Nov. 6, 8 p.m.: Live! At the Library: Ekep Nkwelle

Rising jazz star Ekep Nkwelle, a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University and Juilliard, captivates audiences with her vocal exuberance, versatility and charisma. Presented through the generosity of the Revada Foundation of the Logan family.

Friday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m.: Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano and Sir George Benjamin, piano

Pierre-Laurent Aimard performs a recital of works by Pierre Boulez, the Russian modernist Nikolai Obukhov, and Maurice Ravel, with a new work by the eminent British composer Sir George Benjamin. The composer joins Aimard for the U.S. premiere of Benjamin’s “Divisions” for piano, four hands, a co-commission from the Pierre Boulez-Saal, the Library’s Dina Koston and Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music and Wigmore Hall. Join for a preconcert lecture by David Plylar, Ph.D., Music Division, “Le Tombeau de Boulez: Revolution and Remembrance,” at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Saturday, Nov. 15, 8: p.m.: Grossman Ensemble, with Stefan Asbury, conductor

Chicago’s Grossman Ensemble, led by Stefan Asbury, performs works by Sir George Benjamin, Augusta Read Thomas, Sean Shepherd and Morton Feldman. Join for a preconcert conversation with the artists and Sir George Benjamin at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Friday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m.: Les Arts Florissants, with Théotime Langlois de Swarte, violin

Star violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte leads the acclaimed French Baroque ensemble in an exhilarating concert celebrating the 300th anniversary of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Le Quattro Stagioni” (The Four Seasons). Join for a preconcert conversation with the artists at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Saturday, Nov. 22, 2 p.m.: Beatrice Berrut, piano

Beatrice Berrut performs the music of Liszt, Saint-Saëns, Mahler and Dukas in a heavy-hitting recital that showcases works from the Library’s collections. Join for a preconcert conversation with the artist at 12:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 8 p.m.: SistaStrings

SistaStrings returns to the Library following their acclaimed Gershwin Prize appearance in 2024. Chauntee Ross, voice and violin, and Monique Ross, voice and cello, offer a powerful, emotionally charged program that blends classical, soulful and contemporary sounds. The Ross sisters will perform the world premiere of a Library of Congress commission by Larissa Maestro. There will be no preconcert conversation for this event.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m.: Raven Chacon Ensemble

Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Music and a MacArthur Fellowship, Diné composer and sound artist Raven Chacon is known for poetic works that summon a sense of landscape, space and spirit. Experience an evocative, unique sound world when Chacon brings colleagues to perform with him in an evening of his recent chamber and conceptual compositions, including a new commission from the Library’s Strickland Fund. Join for a preconcert conversation with the composer at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Thursday, Dec. 18, 8 p.m.: Live! At the Library: Isidore String Quartet with Misha Amory, viola, and Nina Lee, cello

The Isidore String Quartet partners with violist Misha Amory and cellist Nina Lee for an evening of music by Bach, Brahms and Beethoven. It is a rare chance to hear six Stradivari instruments used together in performance, including the recently acquired 1690 Fulton, ex Baird, Tuscan-Medici Stradivari viola. Join us for a preconcert conversation with the artists at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Friday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m.: Isidore String Quartet with Misha Amory, viola, and Nina Lee, cello

In the second of two concerts, the Isidore and their guest artists repeat the program from Dec. 18. Join us for a preconcert conversation with the artists at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

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