School of Music Audio Department Sound Recordings, 1945-1992 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Organized in nine series: Series 1, University of Illinois Ensembles; Series 2, Faculty Recitals; Series 3, Student Recitals; Series 4, Festival of Contemporary Arts, 1953-1978; Series 5, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra; Series 6, Convocations, Symposia, Forums and Guest Recitals; Series 7, Special Requests and Donations; Series 8, Card Catalogs; Series 9, Transcription Discs; Series 10: DAT Sound Recordings; and Series 11: F1 Audio and Betamax Video Recordings.

Recordings in series 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 are arranged by call numbers as originally assigned by the Music and Performing Arts Library, which begin with a MO number or Music Archive Tape number. All items included within these series that do not have identifying numbers are arranged chronologically at the end of the series. Recordings in Series 4, Series 7, Series 9, Series 10, and Series 11 are arranged chronologically, with the exception of the end of Series 7, which contains items arranged by call number beginning with the letter "R". Series 9 in particular, has been arranged chronologically rather than by record label number because several of the original label numbers duplicate, many are missing, many appear out of order, and the record labels changed in early 1949 from a four digit label (ex. 5000/5001) to a single digit label (ex. 1/2).

Note: Cards in Series 8 include all extant cards from the Music and Performing Arts Library that correspond to the recordings; cards marked "Withdrawn" indicate tapes that were deaccessioned based on their being duplicates or on other appraisal decisions.

The School of Music purchased its first recording equipment in 1948 (University of Illinois, 1948).  Since then, the School of Music Audio Department has provided recording services for student, faculty, and guest performers at University venues including Smith Music Hall, the Krannert Center for Performing Arts, and the Music Building Recording Studios (University of Illinois School of Music, 2013).  Past Directors of the Audio Department include Jim Campbell, Carl Volkers (ca. 1950s-1976), Jeff Whimsatt (1976-78), and Rex Anderson (1978-2010).

The Festival of Contemporary Arts, first organized in 1948, included as part of its programming dance, theater, landscape architecture, music and an Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture. The Festival's music events included a variety of concerts, lectures, and workshops that were produced by University faculty and student ensembles, and guest composers and performers.  The styles of new music performance incorporated into these festivals encompassed everything from contemporary orchestral, jazz, opera, and choral music to new forms of performance art.  Initially held annually, the five- to six-week festival of performing and studio arts became a biennial event after 1953. Budgetary concerns led to the effective end of the festival after 1971, however, a related Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held in 1978.

University of Illinois.  (May 22, 1948).  Transactions of the Board of Trustees, p. 1121.

University of Illinois School of Music.  "Audio and Video Services", http://music.illinois.edu/resources/audio-and-video-services, accessed June 27 2013.