The FORTNIGHTLY MUSICAL CLUB is one of the oldest continuous music clubs in the country. Organized in Feb. 1894 by Mrs. Curtis Webster, it was federated with the National Fed. of Music Clubs in 1898 and became a charter member of the Ohio Fed. of Music Clubs in 1919. During its first 25 years especially, Fortnightly served as a concert agency for Cleveland, bringing many of the orchestras and artists who performed here. It could be said that the interest developed in symphonic music through these concerts, under the management of Fortnightly member ADELLA PRENTISS HUGHES, made it possible to organize the CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA. Mrs. Hughes became the Cleveland Orchestra's first general manager, and Fortnightly backed the new enterprise with a $1,000 gift in 1917, the first organization to do so. It also became the first founder-supporter of the CLEVELAND MUSIC SCHOOL SETTLEMENT and backed the organization of the CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC. As Cleveland developed into a music center, Fortnightly turned its attention to awarding performing opportunities for its members and other musicians in the Cleveland area. The CLEVELAND COMPOSERS' GUILD had its beginnings in the late 1920s as a "Manuscript Section" of Fortnightly. The club has also organized pianists and instrumentalists into workshops and music-appreciation groups. Six $1,000 scholarships are presented annually to full-time music undergraduates, and free public concerts are given twice monthly. Fortnightly's 300 members celebrated their centennial in 1993-94 with a weekly radio series over WCLV.
Fortnightly Musical Club Records, WRHS.