"The Beethoven Project is a large-scale celebration acknowledging Bing Concert Hall as the new home of the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Stanford Philharmonia Orchestra. These ensembles, under the baton of Jindong Cai, will devote the season to the performance of all nine Beethoven symphonies, as well as all five of the composer’s piano concerti featuring Van Cliburn Gold Medal–winning pianist and Stanford alumnus Jon Nakamatsu.

In addition to this musical undertaking, a number of crosscampus and community collaborations will complement the action on stage: Jon Nakamatsu will give a master class series; Stanford Department of Music students and faculty will present educational concerts with historical commentary for the community; curriculum will focus on Beethoven, including a seminar addressing performance practice issues elucidated by the holdings of Stanford’s world-renowned Archive of Recorded Sound; a freshman seminar with a syllabus linked to the performances will be offered; and the Stanford Symphony Orchestra will embark on a European concert tour with the theme “In Beethoven’s Footsteps” in the summer of 2013"--Beethoven Project website.

The Music Library's website provides a guide to Beethoven resources on campus and beyond, including the five original Beethoven manuscripts in the care of the Department of Special Collections; historical recordings in the Archive of Recorded Sound; early and contemporary printed scores; and digital offerings of streaming audio files and a selection of YouTube videos of the symphonies and concerti.

Additionally, the Music Library's home page includes a slideshow, "Beethoven Works and World: Images and Anecdotes", featuring quotes by Beethoven's contemporaries, interspersed with images of manuscripts, early score editions, and engravings of people and places. The slideshow was compiled by William Meredith and Patricia Stroh of San Jose State University's Beethoven Center, and produced by Ray Heigemeir of the Stanford Music Library. Please note that there is no accompanying soundtrack; you may wish to play some Beethoven of your choosing. Enjoy!