A Research Resource

The American Cello Institute enhances the cause of music making and scholarship through research and the promotion of all aspects of string music, musicians and instruments.  To do so, the Institute advances the research, distribution, visibility, and preservation of printed and recorded string instrument music, especially but not limited to rare and out-of-print music and recordings.  The institute  collaborates with organizations worldwide to serve as an internationally accessible resource.

Promoting Performance and Study

The institute's main purpose is to promote the awareness of the performance and study of the cello and subsequently the violin, viola, bass and piano for current and future generations both in the US and abroad.  It will be the first of its kind to collaborate internationally and function as a focal point for the music of the cello (and all instruments) among musicians, researchers, scholars, educational centers and the general public.

Preservation

The Institute collects, preserves and stores printed music, audio recordings and video footage and edits and digitizes these materials so they are made available to scholars and musicians worldwide for educational purpose, not financial gain.  The institute's current collection and intended future collection will house and preserve historical, out-of-print music and recordings as well as other items that are no longer available.  Through this process of collecting editing and digitizing, sheet music and audio/visual recordings that have been lost will again be easily accessible in a digital medium for scholarship and research.  Scores and recordings will be accessed through the institute's website.

Collection & Holdings

The institute currently holds more than 7,000 musical scores and manuscripts that date back to the 1750's.  The institute will also digitize recorded music that is no longer commercially available.  It anticipates negotiating with artists and record labels to obtain the rights to the recordings.  In addition to audio recordings the institute will begin to create a digital history of some of the greatest musicians of the 20th century through the rediscovery and production of video footage. The institute will work to obtain video recordings that are maintained in television station archives across the world. The significance of these recordings both pedagogically and for scholarship purposes are inexhaustible.  Awareness of these resources will be made through collaborations with other musical centers as well as through their presentations at the institute's organized conferences and festivals.

The institute also houses an instrument collection, received as donations, which are used by aspiring students.