The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Showcases Music for Moderns: The Partnership of George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian

Exhibition features rare photographs, recordings, and letters from 20th Century Icons of Music


June 23, 2016 -- From the standpoint of the early 21st century, contemporary American music of the mid-20th century enjoyed a golden age. Jazz had gone from strength to strength following its birth some 50 years earlier, and by the end of the 1950s, multiple generations of masters, such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins, were active concurrently. They expanded the music's horizons while maintaining a strong public awareness of earlier styles; they were also popular, selling many records. At the same time, a new coterie of modern composers, including John Cage, Lou Harrison, Frank Wigglesworth, Alan Hovhaness, and Ben Weber, had emerged and were pushing the boundaries and conceptions of what music could be; their influence continues to be felt among musicians today. These two streams of musical modernism met in the marriage of the record producer George Avakian and the violinist Anahid Ajemian. Active for over 60 years, Avakian in many ways helped redefine the record industry of his era and ushered to the world an enormous variety of popular and artistic music, often both at the same time. Anahid Ajemian, as well as her sister, pianist Maro Ajemian, dedicated her artistic life to nurturing and performing contemporary music, from Cage and Henry Cowell to Weber and, later in her career, Elliott Carter.

In a new free exhibition opening June 27 entitled Music for Moderns: The Partnership of George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in Lincoln Center will honor the lives and work of Ajemian and Avakian by showcasing materials from their personal collections, acquired by the Library in 2014. Music for Moderns will be on display through September 24, 2016, in The Library for the Performing Arts' Vincent Astor Gallery. 

Curated by NYPL archivist Matthew Snyder, Music for Moderns  is derived largely from George Avakian's and Anahid Ajemian's personal archives of photographs, recordings, memorabilia, oral histories, writings, letters, and other papers. It explores both of their careers and, through them, some of the most important musicians of all time. It also provides a unique way of viewing the important musical developments of their era through the lens of both artistic and commercial recording considerations, as well the development of the recording industry as a whole.

"We are honored to have the collections of both Anahid Ajemian and George Avakian here at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts," said Jacqueline Z. Davis, Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman Executive Director of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. "This exhibition is a testament to their impact on American music both in performance, and production." 

Highlights from the exhibition include:

  • Rare or previously-unseen photographs of musicians and composers such as Anahid Ajemian, Maro Ajemian, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, John Cage, Miles Davis, Carlos Surinach, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Mahalia Jackson, Keith Jarrett, James P. Johnson, Lotte Lenya, Charles Lloyd, Sonny Rollins, Ravi Shankar, and the Composers String Quartet
  • Scores and letters illustrating the relationships between Anahid and Maro Ajemian and composers Henry Cowell, John Cage, Lou Harrison, Elliott Carter, and Wallingford Riegger
  • Recordings from George Avakian’s personal collection such as his own interview with Dave Brubeck
  • Previously unissued recordings by Lester Young, and Sonny Rollins
  • Personal letters to Avakian from musicians such as Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, and Charles Lloyd
  • A copy of Miles Davis’s first contract with Columbia Records in 1955, outlining the unique arrangement under which the company could record Davis while he was still signed to another label

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges the leadership support of Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman. Additional support for exhibitions has been provided by Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg and the Miriam and Harold Steinberg Foundation.

Press Contact:

Nora Lyons, The New York Public Library | noralyons [at] nypl [dot] org

About The New York Public Library For The Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts houses one of the world’s most extensive combinations of circulating, reference, and rare archival collections in its field. These materials are available free of charge, along with a wide range of special programs, including exhibitions, seminars, and performances. An essential resource for everyone with an interest in the arts — whether professional or amateur — the Library is known particularly for its prodigious collections of non-book materials such as historic recordings, videotapes, autograph manuscripts, correspondence, sheet music, stage designs, press clippings, programs, posters and photographs. The Library is part of The New York Public Library system, which has more than 90 locations in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, and is a lead provider of free education for all.