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| Gershwin Trust | |
|---|---|
| Name | Gershwin Trust |
| Formation | 1970s |
| Founder | Ira Gershwin; George Gershwin |
| Type | Trust |
| Purpose | Preservation of musical legacy; administration of rights |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | International |
| Notable people | Ira Gershwin; George Gershwin; Lee Hoiby; Michael Tilson Thomas |
Gershwin Trust
The Gershwin Trust is the estate vehicle responsible for administering the creative and commercial legacy of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. It oversees publishing, licensing, recordings, and preservation related to landmark works such as Rhapsody in Blue, Porgy and Bess, and the Broadway song catalogs associated with Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin collaborators. The Trust interacts with institutions including the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and major recording companies.
The Trust emerged from posthumous arrangements following George Gershwin's death and the ongoing estate management by Ira Gershwin and subsequent executors. In the mid-20th century, the Trust negotiated with publishers such as Chappell & Co., Boosey & Hawkes, and G. Schirmer to consolidate rights. It engaged with archival institutions like the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the New York Public Library to deposit manuscripts, correspondence, and performance materials. Over decades the Trust intersected with copyright milestones including the Copyright Act of 1976, the Sony Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, and key decisions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
The Trust's mission centers on preserving, promoting, and monetizing the Gershwins' oeuvre across media. Activities include negotiating synchronization licenses with studios such as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Universal Pictures; managing print and digital editions through publishers like G. Schirmer and Hal Leonard; and coordinating performances with venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Opera. The Trust collaborates with conductors and ensembles including Leonard Bernstein, Michael Tilson Thomas, Gustavo Dudamel, and the New York Philharmonic for centennial celebrations, festivals, and recordings distributed by labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Columbia Records, and Sony Classical.
Governance has historically involved family members, music publishers, and appointed trustees with expertise in music law and arts administration. Trustees have negotiated with law firms and rights organizations including ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC for performance licensing, and with agents at Creative Artists Agency and ICM Partners for media projects. The Trust's decision-making intersects with nonprofit bodies such as the Gershwin Committee (ad hoc) and academic partners at institutions like Juilliard School and Yale School of Music for commissions and scholarly editions.
The Trust administers copyrights and derivative rights for compositions, arrangements, and lyrics associated with the brothers. It handles mechanical licenses for recordings through entities including Harry Fox Agency, synchronization licenses for film and television with studios such as Netflix and broadcasters like PBS, and print licensing for sheet music via publishers such as Hal Leonard. Royalty collection routes involve performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI, sound recording treaties under the Berne Convention, and cross-border agreements with societies like PRS for Music and SACEM. The Trust also manages authorized editions and oversees royalties for adaptations by artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, and contemporary performers.
The Trust has been a party or interested entity in litigation and settlement matters tied to copyright term, authorship attribution, and sampling disputes. It has engaged counsel in federal courts and appellate tribunals when disputes involved record labels such as RCA Records, publishers such as Music Sales Group, or estates of collaborators. Cases have implicated doctrines clarified by the Supreme Court of the United States and circuit courts addressing term extension under the Copyright Term Extension Act and moral rights claims comparable to those litigated in matters involving Arnold Schoenberg estates or musical estates like Duke Ellington and Cole Porter.
The Trust funds and partners on grants, commissions, and scholarship programs to support performers, scholars, and new works. Recipients have included conservatories like Curtis Institute of Music, university programs at Columbia University and Yale University, and cultural organizations such as The Kennedy Center and New York City Ballet for choreographic projects using Gershwin scores. The Trust has supported critical editions and research fellowships at the Library of Congress and funded recordings and premieres involving artists and institutions including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wynton Marsalis, and the Lincoln Center Theater.
The Trust curates manuscript holdings, correspondence, and performance ephemera deposited with repositories including the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and university archives at Yale University and Rutgers University. It coordinates digitization projects with partners such as Internet Archive collaborators and preservation initiatives by the National Archives and Smithsonian Institution to make scores and letters accessible for scholarly study. Exhibitions featuring Gershwin materials have been held at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the New-York Historical Society, and international venues like the British Library.
Category:Music trusts Category:American musical heritage