Chapter IV The Women’s Committees for the Philadelphia Orchestra
To the Philadelphia Orchestra Association belongs the distinction of first having promulgated the idea of procuring assistance from Women’s Committees.
These were formed to promote out-of-town concerts in Harrisburg, Lancaster, Allentown and Trenton. In 1902-03, during the second season of concerts in those cities, it became evident that help was needed to increase interest in the concerts and procure a larger audience. Miss Mary Sergeant, sister of Mrs. A. J. Dallas Dixon, of Philadelphia, undertook this work in Harrisburg; Miss Hall became the Chairman in Trenton; Mrs. A. J. Steinman, in Lancaster; and Mrs. Robert E. Wright, in Allentown. These committees worked hard to make the Philadelphia Orchestra concerts successful.
No help of this kind seems to have been thought of for Philadelphia until the financial situation became so acute in 1904, as to endanger the life of the orchestra.
The Women’s Committee for the
Philadelphia Orchestra and the
First Ten Thousand
Each year had become more difficult financially and while the orchestra was learning many tunes the Board of Directors could remember but one. They constantly repeated the same question: “Where shall we get the money?” with variations. The Academy was not sold out; if it had been it would not have paid expenses. Nobody wanted to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra. The general attitude was that there were too many concerts, that even the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave only five in a series, and that only a few extreme musical enthusiasts went to the two Boston series, a total of ten. The Executive Committee and the Board of Directors spent hours discussing means of procuring more guarantors to meet the increasing deficit. Every improvement in players or special soloists meant money.
The Guarantee Fund for a three-year term expired in the spring of 1904, and there would be an extra deficit of $16,000. The Association was facing a crisis. No contracts could be made without some financial background.
Just at this moment an idea occurred to Mrs. Edward G. McCollin, wife of a member of the Executive Committee. After approaching several friends on this subject and failing to interest them, Mrs. McCollin one day spoke to Mrs. A. J. Dallas Dixon, who persuaded Mrs. C. Stuart Patterson to call a meeting. The result was that a number of women met at Mrs. Dixon’s house, 709 Pine Street, to discuss plans to assist the orchestra, on March 11th, 1904. Mrs. Dixon was elected president and on March 13th, a Women’s Committee of twenty was formally organized. The officers and directors were:14
| Mrs. A. J. Dallas Dixon, President | |
| Mrs. Spencer Ervin, First Vice-president | |
| Mrs. Thomas S. Harrison, Second Vice-president | |
| Mrs. E. G. McCollin, Corresponding Secretary | |
| Mrs. E. Coleman Lewis, Recording Secretary | |
| Mrs. Alfred Reginald Allen, Treasurer | |
| Directors | |
| Mrs. S. Naudain Duer | Mrs. George A. Huhn |
| Mrs. Theodore N. Ely | Mrs. Edward I. Keffer |
| Mrs. Samuel S. Fels | Mrs. W. L. McLean |
| Mrs. Simon B. Fleisher | Mrs. John B. Miles |
| Mrs. J. M. Gazzam | Mrs. N. DuBois Miller |
| Miss Beulah Hacker | Mrs. Morris Pfaelzer |
| Mrs. Walter Horstmann | Mrs. George D. Widener |
| Miss Frances A. Wister | |
Later the following Honorary Vice-presidents accepted:
Mrs. Wm. W. Arnett, Mrs. George F. Baer, Mrs. Alexander W. Biddle, Mrs. John Cadwalader, Mrs. Alexander J. Cassatt, Mrs. Charles B. Coxe, Miss Mary K. Gibson, Mrs. Austin S. Heckscher, Mrs. Charles Edward Ingersoll, Mrs. Thomas McKean, Jr., Mrs. C. Stuart Patterson, Mrs. Frank Rosengarten, Mrs. Cornelius Stevenson, Miss Anne Thomson, Mrs. Alexander Van Rensselaer, Mrs. Henry Whelen, Jr.