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The Colonial Music Institute (CMI) conducts and promotes research and educational outreach in the fields of early American music and dance.

The CMI is grounded in primary research enlightened by interdisciplinary scholarship, disseminated through scholarly writing, authentic performances, and sound recordings. David Hildebrand, Ginger Hildebrand, the late Kate Van Winkle Keller, and the late Robert M. Keller founded the CMI in 1999. In 2020, the research resources, publications, and additional educational materials were generously donated to the Washington Library at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

Learn More About the Founders

Recordings

Listen to audio recordings of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century music made by the Colonial Music Institute

Listen & Learn

Essays

The Colonial Music Institute has also contributed many essays to the field around 18th-century music and dance.

Explore the Essays

Databases

Based on decades of research, the Colonial Music Institute's research facilitated the creation of a number of research databases on Early American music and dance. 

Explore the Databases

Collection

The Colonial Music Insitute contributed many books to the Washington Library's collection to help further research in colonial music. These are now part of the general collections of the library.

Explore the Collection