January 2023

Historic Northampton &

the Northampton Center for the Arts present

Live Music in America:

A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé

A book talk by Steve Waksman, Smith College Professor of Music

Sunday, January 15, 2023 | 2 pm

In person in the Flex Space at 33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA

Smith College Professor of Music Steve Waksman will discuss his new book, Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé. Starting with Jenny Lind's fabled U.S. tour (she performed to large crowds in Northampton in 1851 and 1852) and winding all the way into the twenty-first century, Live Music in America is the first book to consider the history of live music in the U.S. across genres and time periods. It draws upon previously unstudied archival materials to shed new light on the origins of jazz, the emergence of rock 'n' roll, and the rise of the modern music festival. Dr. Waksman's presentation will be illustrated with photos from his research along with music and video clips.

Steve Waksman is Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor of Music at Smith College. Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé was published by Oxford University Press in 2022. He is also the author of Instruments of Desire: The Electric Guitar and the Shaping of Musical Experience (1999), and This Ain’t the Summer of Love: Conflict and Crossover in Heavy Metal and Punk (2009).

Registration is required to reserve your seat.

Sliding scale admission: $5-20.

Students: Free of charge.

Learn More | Register

Live Music in (and Around) Northampton:

A Presentation and Panel Discussion

Sunday, January 29, 2023 | 2 pm

In person in the Flex Space at 33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA

Inspired by Steve Waksman’s recent book, Live Music in America, this panel discussion will focus on the past few decades of Northampton’s live music scene and the city’s musical life more broadly. A panel of local music insiders will reflect on the scene’s history since the 1970s, its present, and where it might go next. Preceding the panel discussion will be a brief presentation by Dylan Gaffney of Forbes Library, who will share archival photos and other materials to illustrate some of the venues and events that have defined Northampton music through the years.

The panel will be moderated by Steve Waksman, Smith College Professor of Music, and will feature:

• Beth Caurant, founder and guitarist, Lilith
• Joan Holliday, Program Director and afternoon drive host on WRSI, 93.9 The River
• Neal Robinson, Iron Horse Music Hall and Race Street Live
• Glenn Siegel, founder, Magic Triangle Jazz Series and co-founder, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares.

Registration is required to reserve your seat.

Sliding scale admission: $5-20.

Students: Free of charge.

Learn More | Register

Image Credits:

• Tickets to Jenny Lind's concerts in Northampton in 1851 and 1852, Historic Northampton.
• Live Music in America book cover.
• Steve Waksman. Karen Brown photo.
• Tizzy playing at the Bay State Hotel in October 2000. Seth Kaye Photography.
• Lilith playing at the Rusty Nail in 1976. Photo courtesy of Beth Caurant.

HISTORIC NORTHAMPTON

46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060

www.historicnorthampton.org