In the minds of many people, publishers are monoliths—giant, impenetrable entities that control the copyrights of others and draconically police their usage. But what was particularly heartwarming about the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Music Publishers Association was how deeply personal it all was.

I studied with Lukas Foss at BU during 1995-96; he packed all of his teaching into one day a week, flying up from New York to work with composition students and, sometimes, to conduct the university orchestra.

John Adams & Morton Feldman

Virgil Thomson at home

André Previn in 1988

Virgil Thomson outside his apartment at the Chelsea Hotel

Merce Cunningham and John Cage at home

Conlon Nancarrow

Harry Partch

Elliott Carter