Morning Music Club

Morning Music Club

Morning Music Club. Founded in Ottawa in 1892 by Louise Carling, its first president, who was a daughter of the brewer Sir John Carling, and by the Countess of Aberdeen, the honorary president, who was the wife of the Governor General. It was originally a social club that presented concerts organized and frequently performed by its members. The meetings were held initially at the Carling residence and later in the principal halls of the city. Under Annie Jenkins (president 1920-8), the club's social character gradually disappeared, and evening recitals by foreign artists were occasionally added to the morning concerts. In 1944, under Mrs H.O. McCurry, the season comprised one evening and four afternoon concerts. Beginning in 1946 all concerts took place in the evening, and at least one Canadian artist was presented in recital each season. The club took the name Pro Musica Society of Ottawa in 1962 and became the Concert Society of Ottawa/La Société des Concerts d'Ottawa in 1969. The NAC gave the society grants and the use of its theatre, but declining interest and the steeply increasing cost of presenting concerts in the 1970s resulted in the society's demise. The last concert was held 12 May 1974. Throughout its 82 years of existence, the organization maintained a consistently high quality, presenting chamber music ensembles and solo artists of international renown, such as Benjamin Britten with Peter Pears, Pablo Casals, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Glenn Gould, Lotte Lehmann, Kathleen Parlow, Francis Poulenc with Pierre Bernac, Andrés Segovia, the Amadeus String Quartet, the Parlow String Quartet, the Trio Italiano, and the Virtuosi di Roma. The McCurry papers, deposited at the NL of C, include material on the club.