Sibley Music Library at Eastman School of Music is a community resource and a local gem. Sibley is the largest academic music library in the western hemisphere with over 400,000 items. Outside of the academic world, it is the 3rd largest music library behind NY Public Library and Library of Congress. It was commissioned for the benefit of the public and the staff is eager for the community to visit and appreciate it.

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Our tour will start off in the 4th floor conference room, where Jim Farrington (community liaison) and David Coppen (Special Collections) will share some historical items that the Sibley Music Library is privileged to own, such as a manuscript copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s opera L’Artaserse bearing penciled markings that were attributed to George Frederic Handel; a lithographed copy of the full score of Wagner’s Tannhäuser that’s essentially a facsimile of Wagner’s own manuscript; and a proof copy of the piano-vocal score of an early version of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, copiously marked up by the composer for his publisher, Ricordi. This is expected to last 60-90 minutes.

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There will be an optional walking tour through the stacks after the presentation, including the opera collection.

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Registration is required as this event will be limited to 14 participants. We will meet at the 27 Gibbs St. entrance at 1:45.