“Pablo Casals, Kirsten Flagstad, Jascha Heifetz, Lotte Lehmann, Itzhak Perlman, Lily Pons, Arthur Rubinstein, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Artur Schnabel, Rudolf Serkin, Isaac Stern, and Joan Sutherland,” writes Kyle MacMillan on Monday (10/5) at Classical Voice North America. “This star-studded historical line-up … is part of a long list of notable artists who have graced the Tuesday Musical Concert Series, an all-volunteer organization that has operated far from the spotlight, in Omaha. Founded in 1892 … the series has overcome economic ups and downs and the vicissitudes of public taste to become one of the oldest and most storied classical institutions in the country. But after 123 years, declining ticket sales and a lack of fresh leadership have forced Tuesday Musical to shut down. It [presented] its final concert on Oct. 6…. The organization was administered entirely by female volunteers, who did everything from selling tickets and distributing posters to raising funds and booking artists…. The organization went on hiatus in 2014-15 and then voted to end its operations.… While audiences can still attend Opera Omaha, the Omaha Symphony, and an occasional classical offering by Omaha Performing Arts, there is nowhere else to consistently hear top-level recitals or chamber-music concerts in the city.”
Posted October 7, 2015
