Musicians Club of Women records

Collection

Identifier: Midwest-MS-MCW

Staff Only

Scope and Content of the Collection

Administrative and financial records, publications, photographs, scrapbooks, and audiovisual materials documenting the activities of the Musicians Club of Women and its members. Materials primarily include annual reports, meeting materials, correspondence, programs, newsletters, yearbooks, photographs, and sound recordings.

Dates

Creation: 1891-2019

Creator

Musicians Club of Women (Organization)

Language

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Use

The Musicians Club of Women records are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

Use of live performances from any audiovisual medium requires the notification of the Musicians Club of Women.

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Musicians Club of Women records are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections at reference@newberry.org.

History of the Musicians Club of Women

Chicago musical club founded in 1875.

Originally called “The Amateur Musical Club,” the group held musical programs and assisted in charitable donations for women. Early concert performers included Jan Paderewski, Jose Iturbi, Alexander Scriabin, Dame Myra Hess, Edward MacDowell, and Maud Powell.

In 1880, the group gave its first “charity concert” to establish a music scholarship for women and support other women’s organizations in Chicago. The club changed its name to the Musicians Club of Women (MCW) in 1916. The first named scholarship was for Ava. W. Farwell, with subsequent named scholarships from Emma Roe, Lynne Harvey, Edith Newfield, Virginia Cooper Maier, Annemarie Gerts, Louise Hammond, and Elaine and Jerome Nerenberg. Since the 1980s, the club has sponsored monthly concert series, such as the Award Winners in Concert series in Preston Bradley Hall in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Extent

10.3 Linear Feet (20 boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Administrative, publicity, and audiovisual materials from the Musicians Club of Women, one of the oldest musical clubs founded in Chicago in 1875.

Organization

Materials are arranged in the following series:

Series 1: Administrative, 1954-2019: Boxes 1-5
Series 2: Financial, 1959-2015: Box 6
Series 3: Club Materials and Publications, 1891-2018: Boxes 6-14
Series 4: Photographs, 1970-2013, undated: Boxes 15-16
Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1955-1990, bulk 1974-1990: Boxes 17-19
Series 6: Audiovisual, 1987-2014: Box 20

Collection Stack Location

1 47 5

Provenance

Gift, Mary Stolper and Harriet Marty, on behalf of the Musicians Club of Women, 2018.

Related Materials

A copy of "History of the Musicians Club of Women, formerly Amateur Musical Club, Chicago, Illinois" by Ruth Klauber Friedman can be found in the Newberry Library online catalog. A second copy is located in the Special Collections information file. Other collections of Musicians Club of Women materials can be found at the Chicago History Museum.