Brenda Miller Cooper was an American operatic soprano who was a regular performer at New York City Opera from 1947 to the early 1960s. The materials in this collection were compiled by Brenda Miller Cooper during the premiere of Douglas Moore's Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Giants in the Earth, in 1951 at Columbia University, in which she created the role of Beret.

The records of the Columbia University Orchestra include 323 reel-to-reel tapes of performances by the Columbia University Orchestra and Composers String Quartet. Also includes print material and photographs relating to the orchestra kept by its conductor Howard Shanet.

The Group for Contemporary Music records document the function of an American chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music, dating from 1961 to 2012. The records consist of correspondence, photographs, programs, memoranda, schedules, meeting notes, clippings, contracts, bills, financial records, fund raising and grant applications, and so on.

Peter Schickele (b. 1935) is an American composer, music educator, and satirist. He is best known for his comedy pieces composed by the fictional character P.D.Q. Bach. The collection contains manuscript and engraved scores and parts, sketches, revised and annotated copies of Schickele's work. In addition, the collection contains scripts of dramatic pieces or spoken introductions, correspondence, and memorabilia.