Monday Musical Club Transitions to Funding Source
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- After 118 years of encouraging an appreciation of the musical arts in the Mahoning Valley through creative performances, programs and education, The Monday Musical Club board of directors has voted to conclude its operations as an organization.
Instead, it is transitioning to become a funding source for local musical arts initiatives and programs and has been established as The Monday Musical Club Fund under the umbrella of The Youngstown Foundation.
“The Youngstown Foundation is honored to serve as steward of this prestigious organization’s Fund and to ensure that The Monday Musical Club’s mission will continue for future generations,” said Jan Strasfeld, Foundation executive director. “The Monday Musical Club’s decision is a significant endorsement of the quality programming that exists in our community and the essential role that the arts play in revitalization of the local economy, economic development and the quality of life.”
Grant requests from The Monday Musical Club Fund will be considered beginning in 2015 and should follow the Foundation’s grant request guidelines, which are available at the Foundation's website.
The Monday Musical Club was founded in 1896 to stimulate an interest in and a greater appreciation of the musical arts in the tri-county area. To join, members were required to pass an examination -- vocalists performed one opera aria, one song by Schumann, Schubert, Fronz or Brahms; pianists, one movement from Sonata; violinists, one movement from Saint Saens or Mendelssohn, for instance. Members arranged performances which,in the beginning, were private affairs staged in the parlors of members’ homes.
Later, visiting artists joined in the programs for the public and the programs were held at local venues such as the Grand Opera House, Tod Hotel, Park Theater, Ohio Hotel and the Moose. The first public concert was held in 1917 during World War I.
Stambaugh Auditorium became the permanent home for the Monday Musical Club’s activities and hosted such performers as Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, Fred Waring Orchestra, Liberace, Debbie Reynolds, Benny Goodman, Mel Torme, Tommy Dorsey and the Glenn Miller Orchestras, Marvin Hamlisch, Tony Bennett, Sandi Patty, The Manhattan Transfer, Olivia Newton John and Youngstown’s Maureen McGovern.
Barbara H. Tinkham, past president and treasurer of The Monday Musical Club, recalls joining the Club in the 1960’s, following her mother’s footsteps. She has fond memories of her mother overseeing the hostesses for the events, and wearing a beautiful new, long gown for each performance.
“In its day, it was an elegant event," she said. "I’ve seen the atmosphere transition over the years to cocktail attire, then to informal, and in recent years, the events have accommodated an extremely casual audience.”
One of the greatest accomplishments during her tenure was that the Club awarded over $ 60,000 to support local youth programs and scholarships. “It is the board’s hope that the community will continue to support these initiatives through the new Fund,” Tinkham said.
The Youngstown Foundation is the largest community foundation in the Valley with over $100 million in assets. Founded in 1918, it is the fourth oldest in the country and ranked among the top 100 nationally. It is a locally administered non-profit 501c3 organization that distributes over $ 4.1 million in grants annually and operates as an umbrella organization to over 60 funds.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our twice-monthly print edition and to our free daily email headlines.