Preserving the Legacy of the Blair School of Music:
Preserving the history of the Blair School is a key part of the Anne Potter Wilson Music Library's mission. Blair’s legacy is principally manifested in over 7000 recordings – a number that can grow daily during the semester – in a variety of formats. The earliest recordings in the collection are from the George Peabody College for Teachers, dating back to the 1970s, and new recordings are routinely added. The Blair Archives also includes photographs, certificates, promotional materials, correspondence, and other ephemera related to the Blair School.
Overview of the Blair Archives:
Size and Scope of the Collection:
- The audiovisual archive of Blair performance contains more than 7000 recordings in a variety of formats, including reel to reel, DAT, CD-R, VHS, and DVD. Roughly 60% of the archive has been digitized and added to the Blair Performance Archive. Digitization of older recordings continues, and current recitals are added throughout the academic year.
- Processing of other archival materials, including correspondence, faculty minutes, photographs, promotional materials, and ephemera, is ongoing.
Collection Strengths:
- School of Music recordings: faculty, student, and guest recitals, master classes, student ensembles, student opera productions, BMI composer residencies, Blair Academy of Music concerts, and Blair concert series (Nightcaps, Signature, Concert, etc.).
- Historical documents, correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, promotional materials, photographs, and other ephemera related to the Blair Academy of Music and the Blair School of Music.
Accessing the Collection:
- Papers and ephemera are undergoing processing in the Wilson Music Library. If you have materials that might belong in the Blair Archives, please contact the Director of the Wilson Music Library, Holling Smith-Borne. Questions about papers and ephemera can be directed to Sara Manus.
- Peabody and Blair recordings can be accessed via the Blair Performance Archive (BPA). Vanderbilt University faculty, students, and staff can access the BPA on-campus or remotely; non-affiliated users can access the BPA at a computer terminal in the Wilson Music Library.
- Students and faculty can request digital copies of their performances by completing this request form.
