Description
In 1887, the women who came together to create a musical organization in Akron, Ohio, did not even have the right to vote in state or federal elections. The Western Reserve canal town was certainly not a bastion of the arts, but the ladies who founded the Tuesday Musical Club aspired to create cultural activities. Many were wives or daughters of the prominent industrialists who had made Akron a manufacturing center, and a few were related to the innovators who later stamped the town as the ‘Rubber Capital of the World.’
The volunteer organization almost went under several times and its history became tied to the expansion of Akron itself. Through world wars, financial upheavals, population increases and declines, and changing socioeconomic demographics, Tuesday Musical has continuously brought world-renowned musical talent to the area, far greater than one would expect to find in Northeast Ohio.
This well-documented book profiles the individuals who founded, fostered, and forwarded the organization. The accomplishments of Tuesday Musical are illustrated with images, newspaper stories, memorabilia, and biographies. The canal’s towpaths are now walking and riding trails, tire manufacturing is now done elsewhere, and the Schumacher oats factory has been converted into student housing and office space. Yet Tuesday Musical’s volunteers continue to bring world-class classical music to the city, a tribute to its founders, volunteers, and benefactors.
About the author
Tuesday Musical
Tuesday Musical Club was founded in 1887 by thirteen young women who had an overwhelming desire to share their love of music and is, today, a venerable and valuable community resource.
Within a short time, this intrepid group of enthusiasts had established a schedule of evening chorus recitals to present to the public and afternoon study groups for Tuesday Musical Club members. As the Tuesday Musical Club evolved, it became today’s Tuesday Musical Association with its 3-fold mission: to present a premier concert series for the community; a comprehensive educational and scholarship program for young people; and performing and listening opportunities for its members and guests. Tuesday Musical Association has continued that kind of dual presentation: Tuesday afternoon programs for members and their guests, as well as the Tuesday Musical Concert Series. Early venues for their club members’ programs were private homes as well as public places such as area churches. Once Stan Hywet Hall was built, it became a favored venue for these Tuesday Musical club activities after Gertrude Penfield Seiberling, an early Tuesday Musical enthusiast and wife of industrialist Frank Seiberling, joined this new cultural organization.
The “Club” that began with 13 members is now an organization whose members are either professional musicians who have expressed a desire to perform at the monthly meetings or members who simply love classical music and are delighted to have the opportunity to attend these meetings and enjoy the superb performances. Today, there are more options for the afternoon meetings other than in private homes, including the Akron Woman’s City Club, Akron Art Museum, Akron-Summit County Public Library in downtown Akron and Sumner on Ridgewood. Wherever the meetings occur, that same spirit of musical camaraderie that helped propel this organization forward is still present.
Tuesday Musical’s early history reflects what was happening in other communities across the country: many had a presenting organization similar to Akron’s Tuesday Musical Club. The difference, today, is that the Tuesday Musical Association continues to bring world-class performers to its community while sustaining its multiple educational roles. It is one of only a handful of such presenting organizations remaining and one of the very few that continues to be volunteer-managed.
From http://www.tuesdaymusical.org/history/
