tTHE HOUSTON POST: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7. 1947- Orchestra's History And Plans for Coming Season A re Stressed campaign for contributions to the maintenance e*- • i, m th^Pwston Symphony orchestra will open officially Tuesd«with all workers prepared to stress the significant UR^ of the orchestra and its long rec- ord of communitfrleTvicey . Gus S. Wortham, genetal chair- 'Hubert Rpussel, man of the drive, emphasized the music critic of The Houston Post, leadership of the Symphony as a ^id Mr. Hbttmann, Houston was! Tf>xa» cultural force in a pre-cam- ven summer symphony music! paign statement Saturday, ree years later these programs1 "A« all of us know, t*e Symphony 'were taken over by the " • ' | enthusiastically 1 a u n c h'Yn g" the seeond to that of no organization in! i maintenance fund campaign." !, co"ntrv- and at the same time ' The Houston Symphony orchestra under Mr. Cullen's vigorous leader- ha« pioneered the, development of «MP. it gamed new ground artisti- fine music In Texas. Its history cally, acquired greater financial goes bark to 1913. when an ensem- tuppdrt. and Joined the Pnsemhlw ble of 35 players was formed under wTio&e OTO^eWTWiK them as "ma- the direction of Julian Paul Blitz jor." for a trial concert. This was a twi- Resigning at the end of the war, light program given in the old Ma- Mr. Cullen was succeeded by Miss nstic theater on Texas avenue. Ima Hogg, currently president of So successful was the venture,, the supporting organization. Under which offered a program including! her administration, the orchestra |a Mozart symphony, that it was de-' last season was heard for the first cided to continue the concerts andj •time in a full program broadcast the Houston Symphony association to the nation, and the subscription Iwas formed with Mrs. Edwin B. series was marked by the appear- Parker as president. The budget for !ance of noted guest conductors. the first season was $1500, which The coming season, opening in a would not cover the cost of printing few weeks, will be directed entire- programs for a season of the or- ly by guest leaders and is the most chestra now. ambitious in the orchestra's history I Paul Berge followed Mr. Blitz as rTen prominent baton artists wil 'conductor, and remained head of appear, and many special attrac the ensemble until the country en- tions are planned. It is estimated tered the first world war. Most that a maintenance fund of $100, of the players went into service, 000 will be needed to make up th< and the orchestra had to be difference between earned income dr-vipc ' and operating costs. The season k.J*0wever, the . association con- promises to be a complete sellout tinued, to function, with Mrs. H. M. Ticket sales will pay about 60 pe Garwood, who succeeded Mrs. Par- (emit of expenses—which is abov ker, and Miss Ima Hogg holding iaV P r a g e for major symphony the presidency. Chamber music con- Igroups. certs were presented, and the or- ganization sponsored local per- formances by a number of the na- tion's prominent orchestras. • ••• • TT was not until 1930. that a re- X organization of 4fce Houston Symphony got under way. In 1931 it was ready to give a full season, with Dr. Joseph Mullen heading the association and Uriel Nespoli as conductor Nespoli was suc- ceeded the following year by Frank St. Leger, now associated with the Metropolitan Opera company. Mr. St. Leger retained the baton . through the season of 1934-35, do- ; ing much to establish the orches- tra by his work as a lecturer and his close contact with businessmen of the city. - V When he resigned the conductor- ship, the Symphony association, with Joseph S. Smith acting as president, decided on its first sea- son of guest leaders. Six concerts were planned for the 1935-36 sub- scription series, and these were awarded to the late Alfred Hertz, Vittorio Verse and Modesto Alloo. * each being assigned two programs. I The season had high and low mo i ments. but the orchestra gained ground and supporters. The presidency of the association passed from Mr. Smith to the late Walter H. Walne in 1936. Applying himself with great diligence to a study of orchestra methods, Mr. Walne went East in search of a new permanent conductor. On the recommendation of Serge Kousse- vitsky. director of the Boston Symphony,' Mr. Walne attended a concert of the Boston Common- wealth orchestra, under the baton of a young American-born conduc- tor who had just returned to the United States after a brilliant ca- reer as a symphony and opera leader in Europe. This was Ernst Hoffmann, who was shortly installed as head of the orchestra. Mr. Hoff- mann held the position until this summer—a span of 11 years—and during his tenure the Symphony came fully of age^ ^ S activity greatly expanded in these years. The subscription r<#ason was lengthened, student Concerts were inaugurated, the or- rhpstra made its first trins and termed many affiliations with col- ?"'„ groups and other cultural or- ganizations. Special opera and choral' programs were given. In 1940 through the joint efforts of.