Evening star., 1945-11-11
Events in Music
Club Celebrates
:Sixtieth Birthday
On Friday
BY ALICE EVERSMAN.

: 1t is not often that Washington
has the opportunity to celebrate an
anniversary of a musical group of
dominating Importance in the city.
This year, on Friday, the Friday
Morning Music Club will observe its
'60th birthday with a program in
Barker Hall, YWCA, at which DR..
Hans Kinder will be guest speaker.
Musical numbers will be offered by
Dorothy Remsen, harpist; Margaret
.Tolson, pianist, and Margaret Sheri-
dan, soprano.
= While other groups have come
and gone leaving slight or no trace
on the musical growth of the CITY,
the Friday Morning Music Club has
continued to fulfill its aims as
stated in the constitution: THE
object of this club shall be to pro-
mote musical culture among its
members and in the community"
An outstanding example of the
clubs community interest is the
National Symphony Orchestra,
which it has Loyalty supported, in
'dorsing every effort of the conductor
and founder, Dr. Kinder, who was
introduced here by the club.
In 1886, three ladies, Mrs. John
.. Patton, Fredericka Rodgers and
a Miss Beckwith, planned an in
formal club for the study of instru-
mental and vocal music. The first
formal meeting boasted a member
ship of Is, who found Friday the
most convenient day for gathering
together, hence the name of the new
organization. Weekly concerts were
held in private homes such as that
of Aileen Bell, cousin of Alexander
Graham Bell, one of the charter
members and a gifted musician and
leader. Because of the high stand
ards maintained in these weekly
programs. the group easily became
the nucleus of musical activity in
a city which, in that day, was
among the most backward in ap-
probation of the art.
:. When Mrs. William Bruce King
became an active member in 1897,
she organized an associate member
group, a chorus and was inStru-
mental in bringing the Kneisel
Quartet to Washington. Three years
later the membership had grown to
such proportions that larger quar-
ters were necessary and the Wash
ington Club, the Raleigh Hotel, the
Willard Hotel the Cosmos Club and
finally Barker Hall were successfully
the headquarters.
" In 1894 the club was incorporated
and in 1914, re-incorporated with
new articles and new constitution
fitting its present needs. The Friday
programs are now given by members
who constitute the outstanding
women musicians of the city Among
out of town artists who have per-
formed for the club in former years
are Olga Samaroff- -Stokowski, How
ard Brockway, Nicholas Douty, DR..
j. F. Wolfe. Xavier Scharwenka,
David and Clara Names, Francis
Rogers, Geoffrey OHara, Anne Hull
,and others.
Changes in the organization were
fnaugurated in 1943. Active men,
.bers were classified in groups; voice.
piano, strings and composers, each
group holding monthly meetings
and presenting its own program. A
Friday Morning Music Club Founda-
.tion was started to promote and
provide musical education for espe-
cially gifted students for whose
benefit a student group of young
musicians from IS to Is years of
age was added to the adult activity
An honorary membership recog-
mixing those who have rendered
great service to the cause of music
and to the club" includes Elizabeth
.Sprague Coolidge. Bainbridge Crist
MARY Howe, DR.. Kinder, Louis Pot
ter, Emma Prall Knorr, pupil OF
MacDowell, who joined the group in
1891; Mrs. Lawrence Townsend
Mrs. Frederick True. William Treat
Upton and Charles T. Tittmann.
President of the club for 25 years
'waS Mrs. Eugene Byrnes with Lucy
,BrickenStein serving as musical di-
rector for 20 years Florence Howard
followed in the presidency which al
the reorganization was limited to 6
two-year service. Katherine Riggs
Burchard is the present head with
Kathryn Hill Rawls the musica
director.