The William Ralston Listening Library at Sewanee

Home
United States
Sewanee, TN
The William Ralston Listening Library at Sewanee

Sewanee's recorded music library and audiophile-quality listening spaces are unique in the academic world. At the time of his death in May of 2003, the Rev.

Please note that this page is maintained by volunteers and work-studies. Contact the Director at [email protected] for inquiries. William Ralston had assembled one of the nation's most comprehensive private collections of classical music. In his will, Father Ralston expressed his desire that a fitting space be created at Sewanee, The University of the South, to house this collection and

provide both serious students of music and casual listeners a place to fully appreciate recorded music. Sewanee is pleased to honor Father Ralston's wishes through the creation of The William Ralston Music Listening Library and Archive. This state-of-the-art facility in duPont Library offers an unparalleled teaching and learning resource. The heart of the Ralston Listening Library is an elegant cherry-paneled loudspeaker listening room equipped with the world's finest audio and video components. This listening room holds over 10,000 records as well as rare scores and books about music. An adjacent room with high-density storage provides access to nearly 10,000 compact discs, with additional space to expand the collection. The University's circulating collection of 5,000 audio recordings is located next door to the loudspeaker listening room in the gallery, a formal entrance that includes headphone listening stations and display areas for art and music-related materials. A separate headphone listening room with turntables, CD players, and digital music storage allows students to listen to uncompressed music on high-quality equipment. A 3,000 square foot reading room containing duPont Library's music books and scores completes The Ralston Listening Library. With a music collection of over 25,000 pristine recordings, thousands of other rare recordings located in University Archives and Special Collections, a headphone listening room with world-class equipment, and a nationally acclaimed acoustically designed loudspeaker listening room that can reproduce the full impact of concert music without strain or distortion, The William Ralston Music Listening Library and Archive has been described by experts as "unique in the United States and perhaps the world," certainly the finest facility of its kind at any college or university in America.

06/01/2025

04/24/2025

Several of our volunteers are in the orchestra, so please support them by attending this concert on Friday!

Join the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra for Vienna to Bohemia, a captivating musical journey through the heart of Central Europe. Under the direction of Maestro Mario Alejandro Torres and featuring guest flutist Gemma Goday in Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D major, the program brings to life the elegance of Mozart, the passion of Brahms in his Hungarian Dances Nos. 1, 5, and 6, and the folk-inspired brilliance of Smetana’s Three Dances from The Bartered Bride. Don’t miss this free performance on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in Guerry Auditorium.

04/10/2025

Yesterday was a wonderful day at Sewanee.

A total of 3,092 donors contributed $4,787,007 on and support the Sewanee experience—breaking the record for total support! Gifts came from all 50 states to strengthen Sewanee's diverse academic and co-curricular programs.

04/08/2025

This , please consider supporting the operations of the William Ralston Music Listening Library. Your gift will enable us to repair and upgrade equipment, purchase new recordings, hire student assistants for the summer, and so much more. We exist because of your generosity and are grateful for your support.

Join me and make a gift to

04/06/2025

This is the second issue of the excellent new Sewanee Magazine. It's full of wonderful articles including the one featured below, and there is a tribute to Tam in the In Memoriam section.

02/23/2025

We are pleased to share this recent announcement from Kevin Reynolds, Associate Provost for Library and Information Technology Services:

Nathan C. Stewart has been promoted to Director of the William Ralston Music Listening Library. Nathan brings extensive experience and education to this role.

Nathan graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences with a B.A. in Philosophy and Classical Languages and later earned an M.A. in Biblical Languages from the School of Theology. Nathan also conducted graduate research in Ancient Near Eastern Languages at the University of Texas at Austin. While in college, Nathan became involved with the Ralston Library as a volunteer. Subsequently, he held several roles of increasing responsibility in the Ralston Library, most recently working alongside the late Tam Carlson as Associate Director.

Among Nathan's many accomplishments, he is also a published music critic, with several contributions to The New Criterion and The Classic Review. Nathan’s dedicated work with the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department is also notable; he currently serves at the rank of Senior Firefighter.

02/16/2025

The University Choir and Orchestra are performing together on February 28th. Many of our students are in the choir or orchestra and will be performing! Tickets are free and open to the public.

01/15/2025

Welcome back to a snowy campus! ☃ Be safe today as you traverse slippery paths, and remember the library's here for a warm, cozy study break!

01/11/2025

12/29/2024

There are poinsettias at St. John's Church Savannah today in memory of Tam and Father Ralston, and in honor of Rector Gavin Dunbar.
The photo is of Tam at the dedication of The William Ralston Listening Library at Sewanee on December 3, 2011. A happy day. Thank you to all who came, all who have contributed, and all who continue to participate in the life of the Library.

Address

178 Georgia Avenue
Sewanee, TN
37375

Website

https://new.sewanee.edu/ralstonlisteninglibrary/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The William Ralston Listening Library at Sewanee posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The William Ralston Listening Library at Sewanee: