Music Meets Drama

  A letter dated October 31 st , 1940 written by Gena Branscombe.  Her penmanship is its usual “difficult to read” or “hard to decipher” words yet her message is of friendly warmth and happiness to have helped a friend of a friend.  Written on The Branscombe Choral stationery, she is returning to a Mrs. Grambling a piece of autographed linen.  Autographed linen?  Someone had a hobby of collecting autographs on linen?  Intriguing!   Collecting famous people’s autographs and letters was a popular hobby a century or more ago.  Once collected they were put in a scrapbook.  This letter was found in one of those books, though the autographed linen piece was not.    As Gena says, “What an interesting idea!”  My thoughts on that “idea” is someone was creating a table cloth of autographs, a blanket or making an artistic piece to be framed – my idea. Who was Mrs. Grambling to whom the letter is addressed or Mrs. Davis who Gena me...

  I n 1911 instrumentalists from the New  York Philharmonic, singers from the Metropolitan Opera, composers and church musicians organized and formed The Musicians’ Club of New York.  It is one of the oldest such clubs in the United States.  "The organization was formed to establish a higher standard of ethics in the various branches of the music profession and to bring a better understanding and closer fellowship among musicians." Two of the club’s presidents were Walter Damrosch,  one of Gena Branscombe’s conducting teachers, and Olga Koussevitzky, wife of conductor Serge Koussevitzky.   The Musicians’ Club of New York funds the annual Young Artist Awards, a competition for living composers and an International Recording Award.   Quite impressive! On December 12, 1954 at the prestigious Musicians’ Club of New York, the Branscombe Choral led by Gena Branscombe performed Christmas music on an afternoon concert.   They were joined on that pr...

Today the website, Storied Stuff, published an article I wrote about Gena Branscombe's baton and her autographed music which were gifted to me.  Enjoy reading the article.   https://www.storied-stuff.com/stories/kathleen-shimeta    #BringingBackBranscombe

 Recently Gena Branscombe’s grandson, Roger, sent me a copy of a poem he had found in the family files. Over many years the crumpled piece of paper held the words to a  poem titled, “Farewell to THE OLD TIMER”    To the right of the title is typed, “American Folksy Song of 1942 (With apologies to all concerned.”)   With great humor the poem writers, who were Branscombe Choral members, describe in great detail the demise of Miss Branscombe’s “rack.”  Gena raised her wand to beat the time and the rack went down!  The “rack” is obviously her conductor’s stand that with much assistance could not be revived.  The Choral members found the “dough” to gift their beloved conductor a new rack hoping she doesn’t want the old one back!  What wonderful humor and one does wonder what the “American Folksy Song of 1942” was.   This poem/song must have been performed by Choral members at their annual Spring luncheon.   In 1942 with World...

  It was Christmas Day dinner 1983 in my apartment in Elmhurst, Queens.   Among those at the table were my friends Jon, Greg, Edwin McArthur and his wife, Peggy.   The dinner conversation flowed between multiple subjects including church music of the season, politics and the weather.   Once those subjects faded into eating the main course and dessert, Edwin began to hold court with his reminiscences of his colorful, storied and many years in the classical music world.   We peppered Edwin with questions about famous opera singers of his long career.  He knew all of them, had worked with them and had very strong opinions about each and everyone of them.     It was either 1981 or 1982 when my friend Jon introduced me to Edwin.   He insisted that we would hit it off and I would enjoy hearing Edwin’s stories.   Jon was right.     Edwin arrived in New York City in the late 1920s.   He was the son of a Colorado minister....