Programs of New Orleans Cultural Performances

• The Greater New Orleans Choral Society was organized in September of 1929 and sponsored by the Music Committee of the Association of Commerce.  Their first concert took place at the Municipal Auditorium Concert Hall on February 10, 1930.  This organization was established to stimulate music in New Orleans by offering the opportunity for people to study under musical directors and to give back to the community by providing musical entertainment at a low cost. • The Grunewald Musicale performances began around 1920 as Friday morning events at the Grunewald Hotel in New Orleans.  Often these musicales included tea or luncheon.  These performances were staged in the hotel’s auditorium throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s. • Irwin Poché was a New Orleans businessman and civic leader.  Active in New Orleans throughout the mid-20^th century, one of Poché’s many careers involved managing the Municipal Auditorium through which he brought several famous stars and touring groups to the city.  ‘Irwin Poché Presents’ were a series of performances at the Municipal Auditorium in the late 1940s through the early 1950s. • The Lyceum Association of New Orleans was an educational organization which brought guest lecturers and academics to the city to speak to its members and to the general public.  Founded in the late 19^th century, the Lyceum Association was active for only a few years.  Around 1915-16, the group reemerged and remained active throughout WWII. • The New Orleans Civic Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1936 and was a precursor to the New Orleans Philharmonic–Symphony Society.  In 1944, the New Orleans Civic Symphony Orchestra merged with the New Orleans Philharmonic Society, renaming itself the New Orleans Symphony Society.  The organization renamed itself twice more: the New Orleans Philharmonic-Symphony Society in 1952 and the New Orleans Symphony in 1989.  The organization went bankrupt in 1991. •The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1991 by members of the former New Orleans Symphony. •The New Orleans Grand Opera Association was formed in 1930 when Benedict M. Grunewald, with the help of several financial backers, sponsored local performances by the Chicago Opera Company. Using the profits from that initial opera performance, Grunewald formed the New Orleans Grand Opera Association, Inc., with himself as president.  Active until 1947, the New Orleans Grand Opera Association brought numerous performances to the city, including the Metropolitan Opera. After several dormant years, the association dissolved in 1956, giving over the remainder of their treasury to the more recently formed and active, New Orleans Opera House Association. • The New Orleans Opera House Association was formed in 1943 to provide the city of New Orleans with a permanent fixed company of its own. Led by Walter L. Loubat, this group thrived, eventually becoming the New Orleans Opera Association of today. • Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré is a locally developed community theater in the French Quarter of New Orleans.  Founded in 1919, the ‘Little Theater’ remains in existence today. • The Philharmonic Society of New Orleans was founded in 1906 to bring musical performances to the city.  The organization was merged with the New Orleans Civic Symphony Orchestra to form the New Orleans Symphony Society. • The Summer Pop Concerts were organized in New Orleans in 1943 to provide free entertainment to servicemen and women. These concerts offered a variety of different music to the public each summer for several decades. • Tulane Theatre was constructed in 1898 and active for several decades. Contrary to its name, the theatre was not connected with Tulane University. The Tulane was run by Klaw and Erlanger’s New Orleans Theatres Company in conjunction with its sister theatre, The Crescent.  These theatres were once located on University Place.

Note written by Rivet, Katherine Kuhl