Lyric Theatre records

Collection

Identifier: PIMS-0089

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Lyric Theatre records contain materials from 1893 to 1976 including correspondence, financial records, minutes of trustees meetings, photographs, concert programs, guest lists, and scrapbooks.

Dates

Creation: 1893 - 1976

Creator

Lyric Theatre (Baltimore, Md.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

The bulk of the collection is open for use at the Arthur Friedheim Library Archives of the Peabody Institute. Some financial or administrative materials may be subject to additional review by the archivist prior to use. Contact peabodyarchives@lists.jhu.edu for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright. All requests for permission to publish or perform materials in this collection must be submitted in writing to the archivist of the Arthur Friedheim Library.

Biographical / Historical

The Lyric Theatre of Baltimore, originally called Music Hall, opened its doors in 1894 with a performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The theater, modeled after Leipzig's Neues Gewandhaus, has hosted concerts, theatrical productions, lectures, balls, and boxing matches for more than a century. It held regular performances by the Metropolitan Opera Company, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, and many notable local and touring musicians. The theater underwent significant renovations in 1980-1981 and again in 2011, when it was renamed the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric.

Extent

40 Cubic Feet (134 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Lyric Theatre of Baltimore opened in 1894 and was one of the most important concert venues in the city for much of the twentieth century, hosting regular performances by the Metropolitan Opera Company, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, and many notable individual musicians. The Lyric Theatre records contain materials from 1893 to 1976 including correspondence, financial records, minutes of trustees meetings, photographs, concert programs, guest lists, and scrapbooks.

Arrangement

Materials have been grouped by major series and are mostly arranged chronologically.

Other Finding Aids

A draft container list exists offline. Please contact the Arthur Friedheim Library Archives for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred by Robert Pomery, hall manager of the Lyric Theatre, on October 19, 1994.

Related Materials

The Peabody Archives of the Arthur Friedheim Library contains records of local musical ensembles that regularly performed at the Lyric Theatre, including the Baltimore Opera Company. Contact the archivist for more information.

Processing Information

Partially processed by Elizabeth Schaaf in the late 1990s and by other archives staff from 2000 to 2010. Concert programs, scrapbooks, and correspondence are partially processed. Administrative materials such as financial records are unprocessed or minimally processed.