The Music Guild / About Us

A BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE MUSIC GUILD

In 1944, Alfred Leonard had a grand idea. World War II was winding down; peace was imminent. He looked about the entertainment scene and envisioned a nonprofit corporation presenting a new series of concerts in Los Angeles, featuring chamber music performed by the world’s outstanding artists. During 1945-46, The Music Guild premiered its first season at the Wilshire Ebell Theater.

Sixty years and almost 600 public concerts later, The Music Guild is now L.A.’s oldest, continuous series of chamber music concerts. Daniel Cariaga, as music editor of the Los Angeles Times, wrote:

“Along with the Philharmonic, The Music Guild, our longtime
purveyor of first-rank chamber music ensembles, may be the closest this
community gets to having a musical core. Attending a Music Guild event at the
Wilshire Ebell . . . one often feels in the center of things. Interesting music is
made there; important musicians perform there. And the loyal and dedicated
Music Guild audience recognizes the distinctions.”

The Los Angeles Times also reported: “. . . Some of the best chamber music groups in the world visit the Southland under the auspices of The Music Guild.”

     Originally, The Music Guild audiences consisted mainly of Russian and German immigrants, whose European backgrounds caused them to be deeply devoted to and knowledgeable of chamber music. Well-known personalities, such as critic Arthur Knight, Max Laemmle of Laemmle Theatres, and screen writer Mac Benoff joined the Board of Directors.

     The most famous chamber music ensembles in the world . . . the Julliard String Quartet, the Budapest String Quartet, the Guarneri String Quartet, the Paganini String Quartet, and the Beaux Arts Trio, were given their first opportunities to perform in Los Angeles for The Music Guild.

     Dorothy Huttenback, the famous impresario and artists’ manager, took over the reins of The Music Guild in 1952. Until 1985, when she was 88 years old, Mrs. Huttenback single-handedly ran The Music Guild, proud of its complete independence from government grants.

      Eugene Golden, today’s Executive/Artistic Director, follows Mrs. Huttenback’s well worn path. He selects and contracts for the ensembles, selects the musical works, arranges for the artists’ housing, attends to their other needs, and handles the publicity. He also publishes and obtains ads for the annual Program Book. Other duties include raising funds from numerous foundations and individuals in the Greater Los Angeles area. Then Mr. Golden sells subscriptions, assigns the subscriber’s seats, welcomes the subscribers at the concerts and introduces the artists.

     The Music Guild now presents 18 concerts a year at three locations: Sinai Temple in Westwood, Cal State Northridge and Cal State Long Beach. For seniors who prefer not driving at night and to enable children to attend, The Music Guild presents four Sunday afternoon concerts of "Coffee, Cakes and Chamber Music" each Spring at the University Synagogue in Brentwood, a total of 22 concerts annually.

     Many colleges and universities are undergoing financial difficulties and have cut back on their presentations of chamber music concerts. The Music Guild has stepped forward to meet this need. Proving the private sector can and does help with the needs of higher education, The Music Guild presents Master Classes for those students studying chamber music at each CSULB and CSUN.

     The Music Guild now has chamber music series for children at the Cienega, 52nd Street, Hoover and Tenth Street Elementary Schools, the Village Glen School for autistic children and Juvenile Hall. The Music Guild’s mission is to present chamber music in an intimate setting to the children at an early age before they have been taught by their elders or their peers that they will not like it. The objective of the children’s concerts is not only to introduce great chamber music to them, but to inspire them to want to study and perform music. The Music Guild selects schools that have music departments with the ability to teach all students who want to study.

     In 2002, The Music Guild initiated a program to acquire string instruments for those children who want to study. Full-sized instruments are donated to The Music Guild, repaired and sold to obtain funds to purchase ½ - ¾ sized new violins. In 2004, The Music Guild initiated a “Keyboards for Kids” program by purchasing new Yamaha electronic keyboards and donating them to the schools for kids studying piano.

     For some years, The Music Guild has invited as its guests the students of the American Youth Symphony, the USC Symphony Orchestra, the UCLA Youth Orchestra, the Crossroads School, the Colburn Performing Arts School, the Braille Institute and the children from each of the elementary schools where the ensembles perform.

The Music Guild’s great contribution to the music life of Los Angeles has been recognized with Resolutions by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the City of Los Angeles.

Graphic design and artist: P A Weisenfeld
Alfred Leonard photos and The Music Guild 1st Season program covercourtesy
Alfred Leonard Collection, UCLA Music Library Special Collections
Dorothy Huttenback photos courtesy Dorothy Huttenback Collection, UCLA Library
www.TheMusicGuild.org


Alfred Leonard Manager 1944 - 1952	Dorothy Huttenback Manager 1952 - 1985	Eugene Golden Executive/Artistic Director 1985 - Present

Born in Germany in 1909, Alfred Leonard arrived in Los Angeles at age 24. He soon found himself director of symphonic programs on KFAC and host of The Golden Hour. He owned the Gateway to Music (store) and in 1944 founded The Music Guild. An avid supporter of classical music, his inner-circle included Ernst and Lilly Toch, Artur Schnabel, piano duo performers Vitya Vronsky and Victor Babin whose concerts he sponsored and careers he followed. At the historical collections at UCLA are copies of his published works in magazines and a collection of essays, and other unpublished writings and lectures. He published Gateway to Music - Bulletin as an adjunct to his store with reviews of recordings. As the host to the radio show, he also kept reel to reel recordings of his shows, and maintained recordings of Music Guild concert performances also now at UCLA. Mr. Leonard died September 10, 1988.

Dorothy Alice Marcuse was the longest running Manager of The Music Guild. A native of San Francisco where she was born on October 30, 1896, she became an international artist when her mother took her to Berlin in 1907. Because of her youth, she was rejected entry into the Berlin Conservatory, but composer Engelbert Humperdinck and Casimir Hofmann helped take responsibility for her further piano studies. She played on the concert stage until 1922, when she married Dr. Otto Huttenback. With Hitler rising to power in Germany, the Huttenbacks moved to London in 1933 where Mrs. Huttenback joined the Van White Artist Agency. Then at the start World War II in 1939, they moved to Los Angeles. Mrs. Huttenback gained fame during her long career, representing artists such as Rubenstein, Horowitz, Tamanova, and discovering and developing the careers of Marilyn Horne and Mary Costa Mrs. Huttenback died in 1987.

Los Angeles Attorney, Eugene Golden, took over the reigns of The Music Guild in 1985 when Dorothy Huttenbach had a stroke. Since then, he expanded the number of annual concerts from five in one venue to 22 in four venues and 40 children’s concerts. He established a program to raise funds to acquire instruments for children. In 1977, he joined with the LA Philharmonic to form the LA Philharmonic Chamber Music Society. At the request of the U. S. Information Agency in 1990, Mr. Golden flew to Moscow with 10 other representatives of U.S. arts organizations to participate in a seminar sponsored by the Russian Ministry of Culture to assist Russian arts organizations operate more efficiently. In 1991, the USIA again requested Mr. Golden to host 10 Mexican conductors and composers at a conference of the American Symphony Orchestra League. He convinced and assisted them to form their own Association of Mexican Symphony Orchestras and represented them in the formation of the International Alliance of Orchestra Associations in Winnipeg, Canada and at conferences of the Association of British Orchestra in England. In St. Louis, he renovated and developed the historic Concert Hall into a performing arts center. Mr. Golden arranged for national broadcasts of The Music Guild concerts on NPR and joined with actor Philip Sterling to present classical music and commentary on KCSN. During the summer months, Mr. Golden has recently acted as Artistic Adviser at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. He states that he has plans for further expansion of The Music Guild activities during the next 25 years.