Our good friends at the Glessner House Museum have posted a wonderful recollection on their blog—The Story of a House—recounting the events of a Christmas dinner, one hundred years ago! The post can be found here.
Loyal supporters of the Orchestra from the very beginning, John and Frances Glessner also had long been close friends of both Theodore Thomas and Frederick Stock, along with numerous musicians and administrators. Guests at their home on the afternoon of December 25, 1915, included Stock and his wife Elizabeth and daughter Vera, the Orchestra’s business manager Frederick J. Wessels and his wife Minnie, assistant manager (and future business manager) Henry E. Voegeli and his wife, principal harp Enrico Tramonti and his wife Juliette, and the Glessners’ daughter Frances (who had made a doll orchestra for her mother three years earlier).
Following the 1:00 p.m. dinner, the guests ventured to Orchestra Hall—some to attend the concert, some to perform in it. The program that evening included the Pastorale from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, the Orchestra’s first performances of Mouquet’s The Flute of Pan (orchestrated by principal flute Alfred Quensel who also performed the solo part), Bruneau’s The Sleeping Beauty, and Dvořák’s D minor symphony, op. 70 (then known as no. 2 and now, of course, no. 7).
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December 19, 2022 at 4:28 PM
Frances Glessner’s fudge brownies | from the archives
[…] John and Frances Glessner were among the most generous and loyal supporters of the Chicago Symphony since the Orchestra’s founding in 1891. They extended that generosity into their own home in the Prairie Avenue District, and Theodore Thomas and Frederick Stock, their families, along with members of the Orchestra and visiting soloists, were frequent guests, especially during the holiday season (see here). […]
December 21, 2018 at 9:43 AM
Frances Glessner’s Hermit cookies | from the archives
[…] John Glessner and his wife Frances were among the most generous and loyal supporters of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since its founding in 1891. They extended that generosity into their own home, and both Theodore Thomas and Frederick Stock, their families, along with members of the Orchestra and visiting soloists, were frequent guests, especially during the Christmas season (see here). […]