The Schubert Club was launched on an autumn afternoon late in the year 1882. Marion Ramsey Furness, daughter of Governor Alexander Ramsey, along with some music-loving friends, formed a club they called “The Ladies Musicale,” thus creating Minnesota’s earliest recital-presenting organization. While the first meetings were social gatherings for women who busied themselves with fancy work—with Club members often providing musical counterpoint—concerts, lectures and study groups were soon organized. Before long the name was changed to honor Franz Schubert (who had lived some fifty years before) and the goal to establish a high standard of musical excellence in Saint Paul became their mission. In those early years solo recitals were the immediate major interest for this musical organization, and in 1893 by adding the International Artist Series to its programs, the women began presenting some of the finest artists of the day, beginning with the renowned German pianist Adele Aus der Ohe who played at Ford Music Hall (Fifth and St. Peter Streets) that same year. Before the turn of the century such celebrated artists as Josef Hofmann and Xaver Scharwenka had played recitals in Saint Paul on this Series.
As time passed, The Schubert Club’s impressive team of volunteers began leaning toward the idea of hiring professional management. By the mid-1960s the organization had reached a juncture in its history where it was poised to broaden its scope of musical activities. A search for an individual who would lead The Schubert Club toward new heights resulted in the hiring of Bruce Carlson as its first Executive Director.
For the next 40 years, Bruce’s vision and talents brought fresh ideas to this venerable organization, and The Schubert Club grew from a small Minnesota arts organization to one with a nationally acclaimed reputation. Expansion of existing concert series and education programs increased during these years, as well as the development of new themes and projects.
Chief among these was the creation of a museum to house the growing collection of musical instruments and memorabilia being assembled by musical friends and board members. The commissioning and construction of instruments replicating fortepianos and harpsichords was an important component in this venture, and served the Twin Cities arts community by providing playable instruments which complemented early music repertoire. Equally exciting was the addition of The Gilman Ordway Manuscript Collection, comprised of letters and scores written in the hands of some of the giants from the world of classical music.
Throughout its history efforts were made to present a very accomplished but lesser known emerging artist among the recitals of the established stars. This policy of what respected Saint Paul music critic John Harvey called “venturesome conservatism” led to the debuts in Saint Paul of Louise Homer in 1902, Vladimir Horowitz in 1928, Isaac Stern in 1943, Leontyne Price in 1961, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in 1955, Mstislav Rostropovich in 1963, and Cecilia Bartoli in 1996.
Today, fresh from completing its 125th celebratory season, The Schubert Club has secured a prominent place in the history of musical organizations. It is one of the oldest arts organizations in the country, predated by, among a very few, the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. During its many recital-presenting years, The Schubert Club has brought virtually all of the world’s great recitalists to the Saint Paul stage—Jascha Heifetz, Myra Hess, Artur Rubinstein, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Bryn Terfel, to name only a few. Several have become special favorites. Vladimir Horowitz, Robert Casadesus, Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma and Beverly Sills have each appeared under its sponsorship four times or more over past decades. Highlights from the twenty-first century include such stellar artists as Renée Fleming, Joshua Bell, Alfred Brendel, Lang Lang, and Anne-Sophie Mutter.
The Schubert Club today is flourishing. Because of the continuing devotion of music lovers, concert-goers, friends and foundations, this venerable organization remains strong and competitive, a source of renewal and pride for the Twin Cities classical music community. As we push deeper into the twenty-first century, The Schubert Club reaffirms its mission to promote the art of music—particularly recital music through concert, museum and education programs—and maintain a high standard of excellence.
