New ODU Exhibit Celebrates Legacy of Norfolk Composer F. Ludwig Diehn
June 20, 2013
F. Ludwig Diehn
The many contributions of composer Friedrich Ludwig Diehn to the musical heritage of Hampton Roads are the subject of a new exhibit now open at Old Dominion University.
The Diehn Composers Room of the Old Dominion University Libraries is presenting "F. Ludwig Diehn: His Spirit Lives On," an exhibit in support of the ninth annual John Duffy Composers Institute, which is sponsored by the Virginia Arts Festival.
Diehn, who was born in 1910 of German parents living in Singapore, immigrated to the United States in 1937 after leaving Germany due to the volatile political climate of the time. He worked in the potash industry in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., before settling in Norfolk and gaining citizenship in 1947.
Around 1940, Diehn turned his attention full time to music, and his resulting compositions have been heard around the world. He died on April 16, 1995, at the age of 84.
The ODU exhibit, which features handwritten scores, CDs, DVDs and other materials, including photos taken of Diehn throughout his life and musical career, is available for public viewing through Nov. 3, 2013. The Diehn Composers Room, located in ODU's Diehn Center for the Performing Arts (Room 189), is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The exhibit also showcases the respective works of John Duffy, Alan Johnson, Patrick Mason, Libby Larsen, Rhoda Levine, Charles Wuorinen and Donna DiNovelli - master composers and faculty of the 2013 John Duffy Composers Institute.
Funding for this exhibit is provided by a grant from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Scores, CDs, DVDs and other materials are from the Diehn Composers Room and Perry Library collections.
A gift from the late composer, the Diehn Composers Room was dedicated in late 1998. The 7,600-square-foot room was established to house the university's library collection of manuscripts, scores and other special collections of 20th century musical compositions. It also serves as a research facility for scholars, conductors and performers and includes a music listening room, main reading room and seminar room.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Jessica Mirasol, librarian archivist for Music Collections, at 683-4175.
Additional information about the Diehn Composers Room and the exhibit, including directions, can be found on the ODU Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library website.