The Big Band Arrangements Collection documents the arranging and performance career of Raymond J. (James) Greco (1921–2003), leader of the Ray Vincent Orchestra. The Ray Vincent Orchestra performed widely in the southwest Pennsylvania area, as well as in West Virginia. The band was dedicated to recreating the Glenn Miller sound, and the arrangements reflect Greco’s skill in adapting standard tunes to this style. Greco passed away in Weston, Florida, in 2003.

Charles N. (Newell) Boyd (December 2, 1875–April 24, 1937) was born in Pleasant Unity, Pennsylvania, son of the Rev. A. Fulton Boyd and Ann Paul Boyd. He attended the Poland Union Seminary and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1894. An accomplished pianist and organist, he was a founding member of the Pittsburgh Musical Institute, which opened its doors on May 1, 1915.

From 1982 to 2000, the Dear Friends were an ensemble-in-residence at the University of Pittsburgh’s Stephen Foster Memorial devoted to performing nineteenth-century music from the United States.

Composer Eric Moe joined the music faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 as an Associate Professor and was promoted to Full Professor in 1999. The Eric Moe Collection includes sketches, fair-copies, and computer-generated scores of the composer's works from 1976 to the present. Materials are listed and arranged chronologically by the year of composition. Because items were acquired at different times, some box numbers may appear out of sequence in the Contents List. Unless otherwise noted, there is one copy of each item listed.

Ethelbert Nevin (1862–1901) was a pianist and composer from Sewickley, Pa. He published his first composition at the age of twelve. In 1878, he attended Western University (now the University of Pittsburgh) but left at the end of his first year in 1879. In 1882 and 1883, he studied piano with B. J. Lang and composition with Stephen A. Emery in Boston. Then, from 1884 to 1886, he studied piano with Karl Klindworth and theory with Otto Tiersch in Berlin. He made his professional debut in a recital in Pittsburgh in December of 1886.

Frontis Burbank (Wig) Wiggins Jr. (1929–2019) was an internationally recognized expert on American popular singer, radio host, and actor Bing Crosby (1903–1977). He served for decades as the American Representative for the International Club Crosby, a Bing Crosby fan club. In his role with the Club, he developed enduring friendships with Bing enthusiasts all over the world, trading rare recordings and documenting and preserving Crosby’s musical legacy.

Joe Negri (b. 1926) is a Pittsburgh-based jazz guitarist. He joined the Shep Fields Orchestra at the age of sixteen. After two years in the military, he returned to Pittsburgh and studied music at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University). He performed regularly around the region and played in the band for the KDKA variety show “Buzz and Bill.” In 1960 he became music director at WTAE.

This collection contains manuscripts and computer-generated scores of works of microtonal music by several composers. It is divided into two series: Series I: Composers; Series II: Organizations.

Mildred Miller Posvar was a star performer at the Metropolitan Opera from 1951 to 1974 and the wife of Wesley Posvar, the fifteenth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. The Mildred Miller Posvar Papers are a mixed media collection primarily documenting her performing career at the Met. The materials also cover her training at the New England Conservatory of Music, her position as the First Lady of the University of Pittsburgh, and her involvement in the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh.

Born in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, Robert Watson Schmertz (1898–1975) was an architect and folk musician. He attended Peabody High School and Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), where he studied architecture. After graduation, Schmertz became a professor in the School of Architecture at Carnegie Tech and operated a successful private practice.

The bulk of the Sam Rivers Archive is comprised of Rivers' scores, including all of his numbered charts, unnumbered charts, and his arrangements of other composer's work. The collection also contains recordings, including Rivers' commercial releases, non-commercial releases, and videos. Other materials in the collection include posters and programs from Rivers' performances; photos, newspaper articles, and magazine articles about his work; correspondence and contracts; awards, personal mementos, and art. At this time, only his numbered and unnumbered charts are available.

Theodore M. (Mitchell) Finney was born on March 14, 1902, in Fayette, Iowa, and died in Pittsburgh on May 19, 1978. He studied at the University of Minnesota, where he received his BA in 1924, in Berlin at the Stern Conservatory and the University (1927–28), and at the University of Pittsburgh, where he received a LittM in 1938. After serving on the music staff of Carleton College in Minnesota, he was appointed professor and chair of the Music Department at the University of Pittsburgh in 1936.