The business of music is at the center of the Charles H. Templeton, Sr. Music Museum at the Mississippi State University Libraries. To encourage research of this unique collection, which includes approximately 20,000 pieces of sheet music, over 200 instruments, 2,000 cylinders and 14,000 flat discs, the Libraries will host the second annual Business of Music Symposium Feb. 21 and 22, 2024.
The symposium will take place as part of the 18th Annual Charles H. Templeton, Sr. Ragtime & Jazz Festival. It is a free multidisciplinary gathering that will have both in-person and virtual presentations.
"The Templeton Collection focuses on music business during the Ragtime era (1890-1930), but paper proposals may cover any era of the sheet music and recording industries," said organizer Jennifer McGillan, Coordinator of Manuscripts for the MSU Libraries. "The first day of the symposium will be in-person; the second day will be reserved for virtual presentations."
McGillan said possible topics include careers of individual singers, composers, or people otherwise involved in creating music, art and design themes, approaches to teaching with sheet music and more.
The Charles Templeton, Sr. Ragtime & Jazz Festival is sponsored by the MSU Libraries and the Charles Templeton Sr. Music Museum as a means of enhancing the research in the area of ragtime music, increasing the awareness of the Templeton collection housed in the MSU Library and introducing people to the sounds of Ragtime being performed by world-renowned ragtime musicians.
The festival is comprised of a blend of major concerts, mini-concerts, seminars and tours of the Music Museum. For more information about the festival visit http://festival.library.msstate.edu.
McGillan said submissions are now open for proposals for individual presentations and panels. Presentations based on research conducted using the Templeton Collections are encouraged, although use of the collections is not a requirement for acceptance. Please submit an abstract (with title) of no more than 300 words and a brief professional bio to https://msstate.libwizard.com/f/BusinessofMusic2024 by November 15, 2023.
