We have been sitting on some spectacular news that we can finally share with the world! The Literary manuscripts from Marquette University’s renowned J.R.R. Tolkien Collection, the Holy Grail of Tolkien artifacts, will be on display in New York City to coincide exactly with the “Fellowship of the Ring,” screening and concert at Radio City Music Hall on October 9 and 10. There are other Middle-earth themed programming events planned in Midtown with more details to come.
The exhibit, “The Beginnings of a Masterpiece: Original Manuscripts from The Fellowship of the Ring,” will be held at Fordham’s Gerald M. Quinn Library at Lincoln Center, located conveniently close to the history Radio City location, October 5 through November 19.
If you missed out on news of the Fellowship concert, its a full-blown screening of the Peter Jackson film with a live performance of Howard Shore’s complete original score by 300 musicians taking place in October (not to be confused with the LOTR Symphony) with a display of the film on a 60-foot screen. Recognizing the significance of the event in conjunction with Howard Shore and Doug Adams (author of the forthcoming book “The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films”) the exhibit is an extra for fans making the trip to New York City.
The exhibit marks the first time that the literary manuscripts have been exhibited in New York City. Forty select items will be on display, including drawings and sketches, calendars of Middle-earth, linguistic notes about the author’s invented languages, Hobbit family genealogies, detailed time schemes and other plot notes, and examples of Tolkien’s finest calligraphy.
Marquette University Libraries preserves the manuscripts and working drafts (www.marquette.edu) for three of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most celebrated books, The Hobbit (1937), Farmer Giles of Ham (1949), and The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), as well as the original copy of the illustrated children’s book, Mr. Bliss. The acquisition of the manuscripts was the brainchild of then Marquette library director William B. Ready (1914-1981). Ready recognized The Lord of the Rings as a work of genius and negotiated to purchase the Oxford professor’s papers. Major additions to the J.R.R. Tolkien Collection were acquired in the 1990s and will be featured in the exhibit.
“The Beginnings of a Masterpiece” is free and open to the public on October 9-11, with small group tours at the top of the each hour between 9:00 a.m and 2:00 p.m. Group size will be limited to 10 individuals. Special access rules apply for off-campus guests after October 11th. Please visit Fordham Libraries website at www.library.fordham.edu after September 15th to learn more about viewing the exhibit. The Quinn Library is located on the first floor of the Lowenstein Building at 113 West 60th Street.
Marquette University Libraries’ Tolkien Archives Fund, established in 1987 by the late Richard E. Blackwelder and expanded by numerous enthusiasts, is sponsoring the manuscript exhibition.
The concert at Radio City Music Hall will by brought to life by Switzerland’s 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, the internationally-acclaimed The Collegiate Chorale, the Grammy Award®-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus and renowned soprano Kaitlyn Lusk, all under the direction of celebrated Maestro Ludwig Wicki. Tickets are $54-$150. www.theradiocitylotrconcert.com.
SPECIAL EVENTS
TheOneRing.net, The New York Comic Con and CAMI Music are pleased to present a weekend filled with LOTR happenings. Scheduled events include:
*Talks and signing sessions with Howard Shore and Doug Adams, the author of the upcoming book The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films.
*Meetings and panels with special guests (including Howard Shore, Doug Adams, Tolkien linguist Davd Salo and illustrator Colleen Doran) at the Angel Orensanz Foundation (172 Norfolk Street).
*Special guest appearances to be announced
*Exclusive post-show concerts
*Competitions
*Special Events (including pre-concert party)
For more information about Lord of the Rings special events affiliated with the Radio City concert, visit www.theradiocitylotrconcert.com.
