rustic wilderness of meadows and stream. Within the garden rooms, Bliss and Farrand used a careful selection of plant materials and garden ornaments to define the rooms’ character and use. Since that time, other architects working with Mildred Bliss—most notably Ruth Havey and Alden Hopkins—changed certain elements of the Farrand design. The garden at Dumbarton Oaks was first opened to the public in 1939. The Dumbarton Oaks Park is a 27-acre naturalistic streamside valley park, maintained as a part of Rock Creek Park. Events Music at Dumbarton Oaks In 1946, Dumbarton Oaks inaugurated the Friends of Music concerts to offer a yearly chamber music subscription series in the music room. This series was based on the similar Friends of Music at the Library of Congress, of which Mildred Bliss was a long-time member. In 1958, Dumbarton Oaks commissioned Aaron Copland (1900–1990) to compose Nonet for Solo Strings (generally known as Nonet for Strings) in honor of the Blisses’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. Nadia Boulanger conducted its world premier with nine members of the National Symphony Orchestra on March 2, 1961. Copland dedicated the piece “to Nadia Boulanger after forty years of friendship.” In 2006, Dumbarton Oaks commissioned Joan Tower to compose Dumbarton Quintet, which was premiered in the music room on April 12, 2008, with the composer at the piano. In 2017 the series was renamed Music at Dumbarton Oaks. Public lectures Public lectures are offered regularly, held in the Oak Room of the Fellowship House. The lectures are noted for presenting recent discoveries or innovative scholarship that command public interest. Directors John Seymour Thacher, Acting Director, 1945, Director, 1946–1969 William R. Tyler, 1969–1977 Giles Constable, 1977–1984 Robert W. Thomson, 1984–1989 Angeliki Laiou, 1989–1998 Edward L. Keenan, 1998–2007 Jan M. Ziolkowski, 2007–2020 Thomas B.F. Cummins, 2020-Present See also List of botanical gardens and arboretums in the United States Dumbarton House Tudor Place Architecture of Washington, D.C. References Further reading External links Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection website The Mosaics of Dumbarton Oaks Dumbarton Oaks Mosaic Pebble Garden Explore DC Dumbarton Oaks within Google Arts & Culture Art museums and galleries in Washington, D.C. Gardens in Washington, D.C. Historic house museums in Washington, D.C. Libraries in Washington, D.C. Botanical gardens in Washington, D.C. Mesoamerican art museums in the United States Mesoamerican studies Pre-Columbian art museums in the United States Pre-Columbian studies Philip Johnson buildings Houses completed in 1801 Houses completed in