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Shepherd School of Music Records

 Collection
Identifier: UA 094
Finding aid note: Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Scope and Contents

The collection is composed of 85 boxes containing much of the history of the Shepherd School of Music including the Deed of Gift from the Shepherd Foundation and the draft of the activation of the Shepherd School. There is information on the Shepherd family and foundation, as well as departmental correspondence, news clippings, music reviews, brochures, concert calendars, announcements, and invitations, including those for the dedication of the school and the Alice Pratt Brown Hall. There is one construction-type hardhat labeled Shepherd School of Music. Much of the collection is comprised of programs; the bulk of the collection are performances saved in various formats, many of them obsolete. These performances are digitized and streamed on the Rice Digital Scholarship Archive here: https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/71868 and here: https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/77130.

Dates

  • 1950 - 2015

Access Restrictions

This material is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish these records must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Organizational Sketch

The Shepherd School of Music was formally opened at Rice University in 1975. It was funded by an endowment of approximately $8 million from Sallie Shepherd Perkins in honor of her grandfather, Benjamin A. Shepherd. She wanted to establish a music school of the highest excellence.

The first Dean of the School was Samuel Jones, a distinguished American conductor and composer. School began in the fall with a gifted freshman class of 23 students, a faculty of 16 both full and part-time, and an innovative curriculum developed by Dean Jones and the Rice Faculty. It stressed coordination between theoretical and practical musicianship. One major emphasis was and is orchestral studies. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate programs of study. The school is a 5-year institution, with bachelor's and master's degrees awarded simultaneously on graduation.

On October 4, 1991, the dedication of the new building music building, Alice Pratt Brown Hall was held. The building was designed by Spanish Architect, Ricardo Bofill under the direction of Dean Michael Hammond who came to Rice University in 1985. One of the outstanding features of the new building is the Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall and Grand Organ that was made possible by a gift from Edythe Bates Old. The organ was designed by Rosales Organ Builders of Los Angeles and was dedicated on April 4, 1997.

In April 2022 the Brockman Hall for Opera opened;the 84,000-square-foot Brockman Hall for Opera, Alice Pratt Brown Hall and their adjoining plaza comprise the Brockman Music and Performing Arts Center. The Morrison Theater — a three-tiered, 600-seat, European-style theater with an orchestra pit for 70 musicians — is designed specifically for young singers to project their voices without overextending themselves. It is the first theater with such a configuration among U.S. universities and conservatories. Designed by Allan Greenberg Architect LLC, the building offers a premium performance space for opera and chamber music and meets the Shepherd School's growing need for rehearsal and practice space.

Extent

67.5 Linear Feet ( 85 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

The collection contains much of the history of the Shepherd School of Music including information on the Shepherd family and foundation, as well as departmental correspondence, news clippings, music reviews, brochures, concert calendars, announcements, and invitations, including those for the dedication of the school and the Alice Pratt Brown Hall. Much of the collection is comprised of programs; the bulk of the collection are performances saved in various formats, many of them obsolete. These performances are digitized and streamed on the Rice Digital Scholarship Archive here: https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/71868 and here: https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/77130.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Rice University Business Office and Shepherd School of Music, 1977, 1988, 1991, 2009, and 2018.

General note

Portions of this collection are available at https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/71868 and at https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/77130.

Subjects

Record Groups

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Shepherd School of Music Records, 1950-2015
Status
Unprocessed Addenda
Author
Dara Flinn
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

Related Unprocessed Material

Broaden your search:
Texas Archival Resources Online - statewide search of archival finding aids
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Scholarship.rice.edu - Rice University digital content

Harmful Content Statement
© 2023 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892