Songbook Foundation To Host Archives Open House June 9

The public can view rare music memorabilia and pick up tips on preserving their own family history during an upcoming Great American Songbook Foundation special event.

To celebrate International Archives Day, the Songbook Archives Day Open House is scheduled 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts, 1 Carter Green, Carmel. Admission is free, and more information is available by registering at TheSongbook.org/ArchivesDay.

The fun and informative event will include educational presentations, activities and displays of some of the treasures housed in the Songbook Library & Archives, from Ella Fitzgerald's elaborate stage dresses to musical arrangements from Andy Williams' iconic TV specials. Visitors can learn about archival materials and practices; test their knowledge on the best ways to store photos, records and other media; and explore the various types of notated music, from simple sheet music to full scores.

Hourly presentations will include:

• 11:30 a.m.: "What Does an Archive Actually Do?" - Emily Rapoza, Director of Library & Archives
• 12:30 p.m.: "What Happens Without an Archive?" - Emily Rapoza, Director of Library & Archives
• 1:30 p.m.: "All About Arrangements" - Anna LoPrete, Music Librarian
• 2:30 p.m.: "How to Use an Archive" - Emily Rapoza, Director of Library & Archives
• 3:30 p.m.: "Mini-Concert from the Collections" - A special preview performance by Olivia Broadwater and other cast members from the upcoming local musical production I'll Be Seeing You: Love Stories of World War II, premiering June 11 at the Palladium.

Attendees also can tour the Palladium's Songbook Exhibit Gallery, which currently features From the Jazz Age to Streaming: The Soundtrack of the 20s/20s and artifacts including the 1931 spinet piano used by songwriter Harold Arlen to craft such tunes as "Stormy Weather," "Over the Rainbow" and "Come Rain or Come Shine."

The Songbook Library & Archives, housed in an 8,000-square-foot facility in Carmel, currently comprises more than 500,000 documents, images and artifacts representing composers, lyricists, arrangers, performers and other figures associated with timeless jazz standards and other music from Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and Hollywood. Highlights include the papers of The Music Man creator Meredith Willson; musical arrangements written for such artists as Natalie Cole, Rosemary Clooney, Sammy Davis Jr. and Andy Williams; Hy Zaret's original lyrics for "Unchained Melody," one of the 20th century's most recorded songs; and a growing library of sheet music, books and audiovisual materials. The collections serve as a resource for scholars, journalists and musicians from around the world, including Broadway producers and documentarians from PBS, the BBC and other organizations. More information is available at TheSongbook.org/Archives.

The mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation, founded in 2007 by five-time Grammy Award nominee Michael Feinstein, is to inspire and educate by celebrating the timeless standards of pop, jazz, Broadway and Hollywood. Headquartered at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, the Foundation advances this rich legacy by curating physical artifacts of its creators, performers and publishers in the Songbook Library & Archives; operating a multimedia exhibit gallery; overseeing the Songbook Hall of Fame; offering programs for the public and research opportunities for scholars and artists; and providing educational opportunities for student musicians, including the annual Songbook Academy summer intensive. The Foundation is a Cultural Affiliate of the Los Angeles-based Grammy Museum. More information is available at TheSongbook.org.

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