Wilton Library’s Brubeck Collection Wins 2025 National Award

WILTON, CT — The Brubeck Collection and Digital Archive at Wilton Library has received the 2025 Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History, the organization’s top honor for historical preservation and interpretation.

The archive, established by jazz legend Dave Brubeck and his wife, Iola, is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading jazz collections. Now housed at Wilton Library, the collection includes materials chronicling Brubeck’s long career as a musician and composer, and serves musicians, scholars, and the general public.

The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in their 80th year, recognize exemplary efforts across the country to preserve and promote state and local history. This year’s awardees will be recognized at the organization’s annual conference in Cincinnati on Sept. 12.

Chris Brubeck, a musician and son of Dave and Iola Brubeck, praised the Wilton Library team and the broader community for their efforts in maintaining and growing the archive.

“Winning this national award and the invitation to be part of this year’s conference in Cincinnati speaks volumes about the promise and value of the Brubeck archives being historically important and highly valued on a national level,” Brubeck said.

Michael Bellacosa, curator of the collection, noted the collaborative effort behind the recognition. “We are extremely proud of the Collection and our digital archive, as well as the expansion of our jazz history programming which these make possible,” he said.

Support for the archive has come from the Brubeck family, Wilton Library staff, and the Town of Wilton. The project team also included archivist Julie Hughes, Head of Technology Thomas Kozak, and consultants from Whirl-i-Gig.

Founded in 1945, the AASLH is based in Nashville and supports institutions and individuals engaged in preserving local and state history.