Coffee with the Curator: The Excellencies of Musick

Join Dr Susannah Helman, Senior Advisor in Collection Research, as she provides her insights into the Jamie and Michael Kassler Collection, a significant collection full of exquisite and intriguing prints, rare books and manuscripts dating from the seventeenth to early nineteenth century Britain.

Dr Helman will present a talk in the gallery which will be followed by morning tea and plenty of time to ask questions.

The Excellencies of Musick: Highlights from the Jamie and Michael Kassler Collection is currently on display in the Treasures Gallery until 17 August.

This event is presented by the Friends of the National Library of Australia.

Print of two women in dresses holding hands. One has a trumpet in her other hands and is leaning over a sign reading 'Free Masons Hall Readings & Music'. Photoshopped on top is a teal circle with text reading 'Friends Event'

John Thornthwaite and Mather Brown, Ticket for an Evening of ‘Readings & Music’ Held at Free Masons Hall, c. 1790, from the Papers of Jamie and Michael Kassler, 1790-2021, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn5977647

About Dr Susannah Helman

Dr Susannah Helman has worked at the Library since 2009, most recently as the Rare Books and Music Curator, and until 2021 in the Exhibitions Section.

She curated or co-curated exhibitions including Handwritten (2011), Mapping our World (2013–2014), The Sell (2016–2017), Cook and the Pacific (2018–2019) and On Stage (2022).

Dr Helman was the 2023 recipient of the Friends Medal, in recognition of her significant contribution to the Friends and to the Library. She has a PhD in History from the University of Queensland.