Percy Grainger Home & Studio Welcomes Paul Cohen (and Friends) Back

The rooms are set. The daffodils are blooming. The Percy Grainger Home & Studio is ready again to guide you along the silent footprints of early 20th-century musical genius, Percy Grainger. The Grainger family lived in this White Plains since 1921, and each left their mark on this marvelous space.

Every Spring, the Percy Grainger Society invites the local community to visit the Percy Grainger Home and Studio at 7 Cromwell Place. From the music room to the bedrooms and beyond, the house comes alive with how each family member made this space an echo of their individual interests and unique personalities. The House, built in the late 1800s is a beloved White Plains landmark and a graceful reminder of White Plains neighborhoods from days gone by.

Grainger Enthusiasts to Present Saxophone Concert

Again this year, we are honored to have Grainger Society member and long-time friend, Dr. Paul Cohen, with Anna Keiserman, piano, and several special friends, present a saxophone concert. Dr. Cohen is a noted Percy Grainger expert and visited 7 Cromwell Place in the years when Ella Grainger (1889–1979), Percy Grainger’s widow, was still in residence. “It is great to be back at the Grainger Home. Little has changed in the house, and I clearly remember Ella Grainger greeting me as I came in the front door,” Dr. Cohen reminisces. “She was gracious and warm and invited me to look around on my own. At her invitation, I toured the house, found fascinating materials in each room, and quickly found the fireproof rooms in the basement where Grainger kept his music.” The visitor book, began by Ella in the 1970s to keep a record of visitors, shows Dr. Cohen's signature on October 15, 1977.

“Grainger’s work has been a mainstay in my music career, and that visit really got it started” noted Dr. Cohen. He has performed, arranged, and written about Grainger’s work since that very first introduction. The Grainger Society blog includes several entries by Dr. Cohen about Grainger’s interest in the saxophone and wind instruments in general. His article entitled Grainger and the Intimate Saxophone is included on the Society’s website and was recently published in an updated and revised version in The Grainger Journal.

The first (of two) concerts will be broadcast on Facebook Live at 2:o0 pm on Sunday, April 16 from the Grainger Home’s parlor. A guided house tour will be available before the concert. Then, a second seating will take place at 3:00 pm, followed by a guided house tour. Registration for the first seating is here. Registration for the second seating is here.

While the events are free, donations are encouraged and may be made either at the event or here.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Paul Cohen to the Grainger Home and Workspace again this year,” stated Dr. Paul Jackson, President of the Percy Grainger Society, and Editor of The Grainger Journal. “While distance keeps me from attending in person (Dr. Jackson resides in Cambridge, England), I am there in spirit and will enjoy the concert via Facebook live. It is almost like being there, and I am grateful that technology allows the Society to invite members and friends from around the world.”

Grainger Library of Sampled Sounds ("GLOSS") Project

While the Percy Grainger Home and Studio is certainly an important project of the Society, with membership from all over the world, membership and volunteers have undertaken many other noteworthy projects. The Percy Grainger Society received an IMLS CARES ACT Grant (designed and administered by the Museum Association of New York) to respond to one of the biggest challenges created by the pandemic: how to reach audiences who cannot physically visit.
The Society began to identify stories from its collection, then set about developing two virtual programs during 2020–22. The first program, the Grainger Library of Sampled Sounds ("GLOSS") is a collection of recorded sounds from the Percy Grainger Home and Studio. The sounds include samples of instruments in the collection and ambient sounds from the house and neighborhood. Users will be invited to explore and use these music files to create their own musical compositions and soundscapes.

Virtual Meetings Feature Grainger's Choral Works

During the first part of 2023, the Percy Grainger Society is exploring Grainger's choral works with two virtual meetings, the next on June 30. More information on the Choral series is here. Further virtual programs exploring the history, composition, and performance of this composition are underway. We invite you to review the website for further information about each of these projects. www.percygrainger.org