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Writing Program Notes: Biographical Information

This guide will assist you in researching and writing engaging and informative and engaging program notes for concerts and recitals.

Biographical Information

Here are some resources to enable you to research biographical information for composers, librettists/authors of text, performers, and other people you wish to mention in your program notes.

Oxford Music Online

Oxford Music Online
Open to UR community; requires VPN connection.
The authoritative resource for music research with over 52,000 articles written by nearly 9,000 scholars charting the diverse history and cultures of music around the globe.
Incorporates The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, and other music encyclopedias.

Musician Biographies

Musician Biographies
From Musicianguide.com. An index linking to biographical sketches of popular musicians and groups. Includes links to artists' websites.
AllMusic
AllMusic is another source for finding biographical information on composers/musicians (including living persons) and works that have been recorded.