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The collection encompasses classical, opera, jazz, popular, folk and international music, as well as spoken word and video recordings. Recordings may be in the form of Edison wax cylinders, one or two-sided shellac disks, long-playing vinyl records, cassette tapes, 8-track tapes or compact disks.
There are several listening stations available where the recordings can be perused. There are also special collections, such as the complete recordings of opera singer Enrico Caruso, the band music collection of Merle Evans, as well as thousands of hours of radio programs including "The Listening Room," The "Young Artist" Series and "Woody's Children" by Robert Sherman, former executive producer of the radio station WQXR-FM in New York City. |
More than 50 volunteers donate hundreds of hours per month to run the Sarasota Music Archive. They are music lovers from various backgrounds including scholars, accountants, doctors and musicians. Volunteers are responsible for cataloging the material and creating and maintaining the computer databases. They also stock the shelves, do mailings, answer the phones, plan programs and events and provide assistance to the public.
Most of the recordings and sheet music in the collection have been donated. The Sarasota Music Archive raises money by selling donated materials that are not needed for the collection at very reasonable prices. |