Chatham University Music Department Records

Chatham University Chartered on December 11, 1869 by the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania Female College was initiated by Reverend William Trimble Beatty and several members of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church with the intention of providing “for young ladies what colleges of the first class accomplish for young men.” The campus was situated in the affluent Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in a building that held the previous distinction of being the largest private residence in Allegheny County.  A Board of Trustees which included Rev. Beatty and several members of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church, led the selection of college administrators and the development of college curriculum aiming to “furnish [students] the means of a thorough, well-proportioned and liberal education adapted to their wants in life.” In 1890 the name of the institution was changed to Pennsylvania College for Women, and in 1955 the name was changed again to Chatham College in honor of William Pitt, First Earl of Chatham and namesake of the City of Pittsburgh. In 1994, Chatham College expanded around its historic undergraduate women’s college by beginning to offer graduate programs to both men and women with a special emphasis in the health science fields.  University status was granted in 2007 and the institution is thereafter named Chatham University.  Additional campus locations, including one in the East Liberty neighborhood called East Side and one in Gibsonia called Eden Hall Farm, were added in 2008. In 2014, Chatham University’s Board of Trustees approved a resolution to implement coeducation within all colleges and schools while creating structures and programs that preserve the University’s commitment to women’s education and leadership. Chatham University Department of Music Since its founding in 1869, coursework and programming in music was offered at Chatham University.  Initially requiring fees in addition to regular tuition, the reformulation of the curriculum after the first year incorporated a higher level of instruction in music and other areas. While music classes were optional for students in the early years, regular all-campus vocal instruction was implemented by 1876 and group singing of hymns was a party of daily devotional tasks.  Campus performances by the most talented and accomplished students, termed Soirees Musicals, as well as regular recitals by college faculty were attended by the college community and members of the public.  Performances by students and faculty received national recognition and students were given opportunities to enjoy performances, often arranged by college faculty, by visiting musicians at the college or nearby locations. In 1909, coursework in music was expanded to include theory and composition, and certificates were granted to students completing substantial credits.  Music remains a primary component of the college curriculum through the 1921 curricular rearrangement and in the 1946, a two-year sequence of arts curriculum became a requirement for all students.  Regular expansion of the college facilities provided improved music study and practice area, first with the construction of a music hall in the 1890s and performance spaces across campus.  Student clubs organized around music, such as the Banjo Club, Mandolin Club, and Glee Club, were open to and joined by students from all academic departments. In 1951, The Andrew W. Mellon Education and Charitable Trust funded a composer-in-residence and pianist in residence project to host Roy Harris and the Laboratory School of Music was established in 1949 to educate a new generation of instrumentalists.  Training of opera singers, conductors, and stage directors was offered through the Opera Workshop and a Pittsburgh International Festival of Contemporary Music was established in coordination with the Carnegie Institute in 1951. The Ives Festival, which featured performances by Henry Spinelli, the Spring Music Festival, and the Musicale series have continued to provide opportunities for students and the community to enjoy musical performances at Chatham University. The Chatham University Department of Music has been led and staffed by a number of individuals including the following: Adolph F. Christiani, Sarah Brannan-Hershey, Agnes Caldwell Way, Joseph H. Gittings, T. Carl Whitmer, May B. MacKensie, Helene Welker, Lillie B. Held, Clifford Taylor, Russell G. Wichmann, Mihail Stolarensky, Henry Spinelli, and Pauline Rovkah.

Note written by Molly Tighe