A Guide to the Summer Evenings at Sarah Lawrence Records RG 3.4.9

Summary Information

Repository

Sarah Lawrence College Archives

Title

Summer Evenings at Sarah Lawrence Records

ID

RG 3.4.9

Date [bulk]

Bulk, 1978-1985

Date [inclusive]

1974-1990

Extent

2.0 linear feet 1 record carton, 2 document boxes

Language

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Sarah Lawrence College Archives 2008

Revision Description

 Finding Aid entered in Archivists' Toolkit by Alayna Barrett June 2014

Conditions Governing Access note

Access to administrative records is restricted for 20 years from the date of creation. Records relating to personnel and individual students may be restricted for 75 years from the date of creation or death of the individual(s) mentioned. All restricted records are labeled as such.

Acquisition Note

Information regarding the acquisition of this collection is unknown.

Processing Information note

Processed in summer 2008 by Sarah Pinard.

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Historical note

During the summer of 1975 Sarah Lawrence College hosted a series of film viewings, poetry readings, and music ensembles as part of the summer programs on campus. These events were run by the Office of Special Programs. Two years later, in 1977, Summer Evenings at Sarah Lawrence was officially established as a series of performances held to utilize and promote the performing arts facilities on campus as well as connect the campus to the broader Westchester community. The series, under its new name, remained under the auspices of the Office of Special Programs until 1979. It was directed by Kenneth Wentworth who also preformed with his wife, Jean Wentworth, during the concert series. Kenneth Wentworth continued to direct the series until its end in 1990.

The series was composed of musical concerts, theatre, dance performances, film viewings and special events. The programs were available to the public, and aimed generally at members of the College’s neighboring communities. In a related series, the College offered afternoon concerts for senior citizens.

During its first year Summer Evenings performances were free of charge. Beginning in the second summer a general admission was charged to all patrons attending most of the concerts in Reisinger Concert Hall, however admission was free to smaller informal events in the Recital Hall as well as performances in the College Pub. Summer Evenings' fourth season included chamber music coaching and multiple highly successful concerts by the Borodin Piano Trio.

The series further established itself in following summers by offering five professional performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni in connection with a month long opera program that included concerts and lectures with members of the Don Giovanni cast. Summer Evenings also offered a production of Harold Pinter’s play Old Times through the resident company, Green Gate Theatre, under the direction of Charles and Gloria Carshon. The programming was expanded with poetry recitals and film showings. In following years a full production of the opera Cosi Fan Tutte was broadcast from theatre to tape and international groups such as N. Zahle’s Danish Choir, I Musici de Montreal, and The Tokyo String Quartet were hosted on campus. The performances demonstrated the program’s establishment as a source for quality ensemble music in the Westchester County region.

Outside funding and resources in the form of private contributions, matching corporate funding, and grant money were essential to the series from its beginning. Artists frequently performed for discounted rates and volunteered their talents for annual summer fundraising concerts.

Despite these efforts, in 1990 after fifteen seasons Summer Evenings at Sarah Lawrence ended its programming due in part to financial challenges.

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Scope and Contents note

This collection contains records created during the administration of Summer Evenings at Sarah Lawrence. The collection is divided into two series: Administration and Programs. The administrative series houses records in four sub-series. The sub-series are reflective of the organization of the records upon accession. The general administrative records include annual summer budgets, correspondence regarding planning, finance, and contributions, and personal/professional correspondence with Kenneth Wentworth. Also included are promotional flyers, posters, and schedules, fundraising material, artist contracts, and publicity material sent to the college by participating artists. Three of the sub-series comprise material about individual events that were larger in scope than other performances. These include the opera Cosi Fan Tutte performed in 1979, Green Gate Theatre productions, and the Seminar in Viola de Gamba. These sub-series are further divided into correspondence, general administrative records, promotional material, etc.

The records are divided into two series:

Series I. Administration (arranged alphabetically)

Sub-series A. Cosi Fan Tutte

Sub-series B. General

Sub-series C. Green Gate Theatre

Sub-series D. Seminar in Viola da Gamba

Series II. Programs (arranged chronologically)

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Series Description

The Programs series is arranged in chronological order according to the date of the performance as indicated on the program cover. Summers for which the collection is missing programs include 1981 and every summer post-1986 until the conclusion of the program in 1990.

The records are divided into two series:

Series I. Administration consists of administrative material relating to the creation and operation of the Summer Evenings at Sarah Lawrence program. In addition to administrative records about specific programming such as Cosi Fan Tutte, The Green Gate Theatre, and the Seminar in Viola da Gamba, this series includes material about the annual programming in general. Budgetary and financial information, a significant amount of correspondence between director Kenneth Wentworth and patrons regarding contributions and their importance to the continuance of the series, as well as promotional flyers and radio announcements, and fundraising material including applications to the New York State Council on the Arts and the Herman Goldman Foundation. The applications for support contain some historical information about the program and its development.

Series I is divided into four sub-series: Sub-series A. Cosi Fan Tutte; Sub-series B. General; Sub-series C. Green Gate Theatre; Sub-series D. Seminar in Viola da Gamba.

Series II. Programs contains programs from concerts between 1975 and 1986. The programs in this collection are not representative of all the performances offered during the fifteen year operation of Summer Evenings. The majority of the programs are final copies of those handed out upon admission to the performances. A small number of performances include program drafts. A select number of the longer performances, including the operas Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte contain program notes and/or biographical information about the performers and composers. Some folders also contain extra tickets or ticket stubs from the performances. Statistical information such as ticket sales and seating are often noted on the remaining tickets.

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Related Materials

See also

Summer Evenings folder in Box 23 of Photograph Collection for publicity photographs of Summer Evenings artists and photographs of productions of Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte; Special Programs Collection for additional information about the 1978 Opera Workshop and the Borodin Trio; Music Department Records for additional information about concerts and music performances, as well as administrative material on the Borodin Piano Trio, the Seminar in Viola da Gamba, and the Laurentian String Quartet.

See also photograph collection for artist publicity photos.

Appendix

Photograph Collection – Events – Summer Evenings

Judith Bettina, n.d. The Borodin Trio, 1977-1981, 1983-1984, 1986 I Musici de Montreal, 1985 Gervase DePeyer, 1985 Fine Arts Quartet, 1984 Sarah Lawrence Woodwind Quintet, 1984 A Renaissance Entertainment – Angene Feves, 1979 A Renaissance Entertainment – Ric Abel, 1979 Cosi Fan Tutte, 1979 Don Giovanni, 1978

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

• Borodin Trio.
• Green Gate Theatre.
• Laurentian String Quartet.

Genre(s)

• Correspondence
• Programs (documents)

Personal Name(s)

• Wentworth, Kenneth

Subject(s)

• Chamber music festivals
• Music - Instruction and study.
• Sarah Lawrence College

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Collection Inventory