Series 2: Performances and Programs, ca. 1933-1973 (7.2 cu. ft.; 18 DB) includes souvenir and concert programs, domestic and international tour itineraries, press releases, correspondence, news articles, and citations. The records document domestic and international tours to Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe made by the Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1933-1973. In addition, they document three diplomatic tours to the Near and Middle East (1963), Soviet Union (1971), and Central and South America (1971) sponsored by the United States State Department. Of particular interest are the materials documenting Ellington's Concerts of Sacred Music performed between 1965 and 1973. These include correspondence, announcements, and publicity relating to the planning and execution of these concerts, dating from January, 1963.
The records are organized into three subseries: Subseries 2A: International Tours (including Ellington's diplomatic tours for the State Department), Subseries 2B: Domestic Tours and Subseries 2C: The Sacred Concerts. The material within each group is arranged chronologically by performance dates. Span dates are identified within parentheses only when the dates for a group of materials falls outside of the performance dates. Undated items have been placed at the end of each grouping. Oversized materials have been placed at the end of the series but are incorporated chronologically in this listing.
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