The History of Dayton Music Club
established in 1888
Beginnings: The Mozart Club
Inspired by the club movement of the 1880s, followers of Professor James Roberts gathered for an organizational meeting in the home of Mrs. E. Morgan Wood in October of 1888 to form the Mozart Club. This was to be an all-women’s group with the objective “to develop the music talent of members and to stimulate musical culture in Dayton.”
By 1911 the Mozart Club had 44 active members and 161 associate members. The programs consisted of musical presentations by active members, and essays on the lives of composers or related subjects by associate members.
An Artist Recital Series brought outstanding soloists from distant cities to Dayton.
The Chaminade Club
In 1902 a group of younger musicians, overwhelmed by the demanding activities of the Mozart Club, decided to form their own group under the name of The Chaminade Club, after popular contemporary French composer Cécile Chaminade.
A United Front
Following the flood of 1913, when nearly everything in Dayton was reorganized, the two groups merged to become the Women’s Music Club.
The first united concert was given May 19, 1914.
This new group became affiliated with first the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs and, in 1917, the National Federation of Music Clubs. A Music Club Chorus was formed that year as well, and the chorus continued to perform thereafter for nearly one hundred years.
The Post-War Years
A new America emerged following World War 2 in which the ordinary family prospered. New young members brought new ideas, and a resurgence of energy infused the organization.
Suburban women donned their white gloves and fashionable hats to attend Tuesday morning Musicales, sometimes held at the DAI, the Dayton Woman’s Club, or even Rike’s auditorium. Tuesday musicales were based on themes selected for the year and annually the DMC presented the NFMC guest artists in concert.
The first 50 years
The name was officially changed to Dayton Music Club in the late ’20s and men were invited to become members beginning in 1928.
The club experienced tremendous growth throughout the next three decades. A major change occurred in 1925 when morning musicales were established, a tradition we carry on today.
Junior music clubs were organized to encourage young musicians.
During the depression years, DMC member Paul Katz organized and directed the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. A special event in 1932 at Memorial Hall brought 10 pianos on stage with most of the performers being DMC members.
A school to give young performers free music lessons by members flourished for a few years.
Because the music club furnished the Dayton Art Institute with a piano and curtains for the stage, a close relationship developed between the two. In 1943 the DMC began presenting free concerts by members in the DAI Auditorium on Sunday afternoons.
Mission Focus: Scholarships
In 1973 a Foundation for Scholarship was established to further the music education of members of the Junior Clubs. A card party fund-raiser was held each spring to secure funds for the youth scholarship program.
Today, more than $10,000 in annual scholarships prizes encourage dozens of students to continue and deepen their musical studies. While donations are always gratefully received, we host a special Benefit Concert for Youth Scholarships each May to showcase prize-winners and raise funds for the following year.
Supporting young musicians is a core mission of the modern Dayton Music Club. Whether lifelong hobbyists or aspiring professionals, Junior Music Club members are Dayton’s musical future.
The Modern Club
In the second half of the twentieth century, cultural changes occurred which adversely affected many organizations. Women took full-time jobs and were no longer available during the daytime hours. The downtown Dayton culture changed when retail commerce at Rike’s and Elder-Beerman ceased downtown operations.
By the year 2000, Dayton Music Club had established several new programs for revitalization. An Honoree of the Year award launched, and seventeen ladies who had been members for 50+ years were honored for the inaugural award.
Musicales were recorded and broadcast over WDPR and the DMC held twilight concerts on Friday evenings.
When the DPO spearheaded a project to build a new symphony hall on the site of the empty Rike’s Department Store lot, the DMC board of directors donated $5000 to the project, for which its name was etched on to a glass wall of the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Center for the Performing Arts. On May 20, 2003, the DMC held its final musicale of the year in the newly opened Schuster Center Wintergarden.
Today’s Dayton Music Club
Well into the twenty-first century, our monthly musicales still feature DMC members who are some of Dayton’s finest musicians.
Our Scholarships program continues to support dozens of young musicians in their studies every year.
We annually host NFMC Young Artists in conjunction with a local church’s Concert Series (this year at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Centerville).
And the work our founders began continues.
The Mozart Club was founded to develop and maintain high musical standards, encourage musical education in the community, and promote American music and American artists.
The Dayton Music Club has been and is now a performing arts community that awards scholarships to young musicians and presents free, high-quality concerts.