A Conversation with Jazz Pianist Matthew Whitaker

Jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker in conversation with National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Director Karen Keninger before his virtual concert to kick off a year-long commemoration of NLS’s 90th anniversary.

Whitaker, who has been blind since birth, is an NLS patron who has used the Music Section’s accessible scores and reading materials as he garnered accolades across the jazz world. He won ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards for 2019 and 2020 and has been featured on stages around the world and on TV shows including Ellen and NBC’s Today. In a story on the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes, neuroscientists discussed how Whitaker’s brain is stimulated by music—so much so that his visual cortex lights up when he plays.

This event showcases the NLS Music Section’s work in providing patrons with direct access to the largest collection of braille, audio and large print music materials in the world. The concert begins celebrations of the services provided by NLS since 1931, which will include monthly highlights of the program throughout the year.

For more information about NLS, visit www.loc.gov/nls and check out the NLS Music Notes blog at https://blogs.loc.gov/nls-music-notes.

For transcript and more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9706

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