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Robert Sherman collection

 Collection 0081-SCPA

Robert Sherman (1932-2023) was a renowned radio broadcaster, author, and educator whose noteworthy career spans from the 1950s to today. At radio station WQXR in New York, Sherman worked as the Music Director and Program Manager, and he is best known for hosting numerous programs, including "Woody's Children" and the nationally broadcast "The Listening Room." As an author, Sherman has written columns for The New York Times as well as several books about music, including those co-authored with Victor Borge. The Robert Sherman collection covers the period from 1932 to 2023; the bulk of the materials date from 1960 to 2008. The collection consists of both personal and professional papers including scripts, recordings, writings, correspondence, event programs, clippings, photographs, and awards related to Sherman's work as a broadcaster, author, and educator. Among the most significant holdings include recordings of his programs "Woody's Children," "The Listening Room," and "Young Artists Showcase," and correspondence with numerous renowned artists such as Clara Rockmore, Pete Seeger, Aaron Copland, Henry Cowell, and Leopold Stokowski.

Dates

  • 1923-2022
  • Majority of material found within 1960-2008

Use and Access to Collection

The collection is open for research use.

Duplication and Copyright Information

Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Contact the curator for an appointment: http://www.lib.umd.edu/scpa/contact

Extent

60.00 Linear Feet

Scope and Content of Collection

The Robert Sherman collection covers the period from 1932 to 2023; the bulk of the materials date from 1960 to 2008. The collection consists of both personal and professional papers including scripts, recordings, writings, correspondence, event programs, clippings, photographs, and awards related to Sherman's work as a broadcaster, author, and educator. Among the most significant holdings include recordings of his broadcasts, "Woody's Children," "The Listening Room," and "Young Artists Showcase," and correspondence with numerous renowned artists such as Clara Rockmore, Pete Seeger, Aaron Copland, Henry Cowell, and Leopold Stokowski.

Biography

Robert Sherman (b. 1932 - d. June 27, 2023) began his career in broadcasting as the Music Director and Program Manager for radio station WQXR in New York. In 1969, he began hosting the popular folk music program, "Woody's Children," on WQXR, followed in 1970 by the nationally broadcast program, "The Listening Room." He then expanded to television, hosting "Vibrations" on PBS in 1972 and appearing as a commentator for CBS's "Camera Three." He continued his work at WQXR, hosting the "Young Artists Showcase" program, which began in 1978, as well as several other programs through the 2000s.

As an author, Sherman became a regular columnist for The New York Times starting in 1964 and also published several books on music. He began lecturing at New York University in 1969, the start of his active career as an educator.

In his later years, Sherman devoted much of his energy to preserving the legacy of his mother, pianist Nadia Reisenberg, and his aunt, thereminist Clara Rockmore, through memorial events, overseeing the production of biographical works, and writing program notes for their recordings. With his brother Alex Sherman, he compiled the materials for the book, Nadia Reisenberg: A Musician's Scrapbook, published in 1986 by the International Piano Archives at Maryland, home to Reisenberg's collections. Most recently, Sherman participated in the release of Clara Rockmore's Lost Theremin Album on Bridge Records in 2006.

Arrangement

This collection is organized into fifteen series.

  1. Shows
  2. Recordings
  3. Writings
  4. Victor Borge
  5. Festivals
  6. Academic Material
  7. Correspondence
  8. Chronological Files
  9. Press
  10. Photographs
  11. Awards and Posters
  12. Scores
  13. Programs
  14. Sheet Music
  15. Books

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The collection is a gift of Robert Sherman, which was received in multiple shipments between 2006 and 2022.

Related Material

Reisenberg, Rockmore, books, CDs with liner notes:

  1. Nadia Reisenberg's collection is located in the International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM). The finding aid may be accessed here. For more information, please contact Donald Manildi, IPAM curator, at (301) 405-9224 or godowsky@umd.edu.
  2. Clara Rockmore's collection is located in Special Collections in Performing Arts. The finding aid may be accessed here.

Copies of Victor Borge and Robert Sherman, Victor Borge's My Favorite Comedies in Music (New York: Franklin Watts, 1980), are found in the following locations:

  1. University of Maryland, College Park, Hornbake Library, Broadcasting Archives, Reference. Call number: ML65 .B677 1994.
  2. University of Maryland, College Park, Performing Arts Library, International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM). Books in the Lowens Room; other materials, ask at the circulation desk. Call number: ML65 .B677.

Copies of Victor Borge and Robert Sherman, My Favorite Intermissions (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1971), are found at the following locations:

  1. University of Maryland, College Park, Hornbake Library Broadcasting Archives, Reference. Call number: ML65.B675 M9.
  2. University of Maryland, College Park, Performing Arts Library, International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM). Books in the Lowens Room; other materials, ask at the circulation desk. Call number: ML65.B675 M9.

Copies of recordings with liner notes by Robert Sherman in the UMCP PAL catalog:

  1. Robert Sherman, Liner Notes, A Chopin Treasury: Studio & Concert Recordings (1947-1957), Nadia Reisenberg, perf., Bridge 9276A/D, 2008, located in University of Maryland, College Park, Performing Arts Library, International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM). Call number: MBRIDGE 9276A/D.
  2. Robert Sherman, Liner Notes, Sonata for Cello & Piano [Borodin], Dorothy Lawson and Steven Blier, perf. Koch International Classics 3-7324-2H1, 1998, located at the University of Maryland, College Park, Performing Arts Library. Call number: MCD 5393.
  3. Robert Sherman, Liner Notes, Nadia Reisenberg: An Album of Chamber Music, IPAM Records 1201, located in University of Maryland, College Park, Performing Arts Library, Paged Collections Room. Call number: MCD 218.
  4. Robert Sherman, Liner Notes (contributor), An American Celebration, Vols. 1 and 2, New York Philharmonic, perf. New York Philharmonic NYP 9902 and 9903, 1999, located in University of Maryland, College Park, Performing Arts Library, Paged Collections Room. Call numbers: MCD 5207, MCD 5206.
Title
Robert Sherman collection
Status
Completed
Author
Lindsey Carlson
Date
February 2010
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Library Details

Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library

Contact:
University of Maryland Libraries
8270 Alumni Drive
College Park MD 20742 United States