Cynthia Hoover was interviewed by Angel Nieves on June 27, 1996. She was born in Nebraska in 1934, studied in Massachusetts, and taught at Wellesley College for several years. She then came to work at the Smithsonian in May 1961 as the curator of musical instruments. This interview discusses Hoover's work at the Smithsonian and her focus on American instruments, the role of music and museums, and how music relates to people and culture. The interview also covers the differences she has noted over her years of employment; the evolution of the Festival of American Folklife; the expansion of various musical programs at the Smithsonian; the exhibits she has worked on, notably Making Music American Style and Music Machines; her planned exhibit on the 300th anniversary of the piano's invention; the challenges of working at the Smithsonian; her visits to many museums and her impressions of them; the changes she has seen the Smithsonian and other museums undergo; her opinion on the future of museums; and memories of the Folklife Festivals she has attended.
Object Details
- Collection Creator:
- Note
- Hoover asks interviewer Nieves about his work and the two discuss interdisciplinary approaches of interpreting history.
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews
- Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews / Interviews
- Container
- Interviews
- Archival Repository
- Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9594, Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews
- Record ID
- ebl-1619206230728-1619206230766-1
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
