2014

Winter

Issue

MUSIC HALL Marks

What a wonderful time of year!The beauty of autumn, leading intowinter, opens a torrent of memo-ries that often just seems to rainupon my head.

Changing leaf col-ors convert, irrevoca-bly, into piles of fallenleaves to jump in andrun through; and then,the biggie…the unfor-gettable smell of burn-ing leaf piles (notanymore, of course).

How about memo-ries of family Thanks-giving dinners? -- evenif not “over the riverand through the woods.” Changingany of the foods served from yearto year just doesn’t happen. Tradi-tions change very slowly…andmemories often last forever. Next,we certainly can’t stop the snowsof winter with sledding, snowmen,

snowballs, and bonfires with hotdogs…you know, the “whole thing”!

Importantly, so many of usalso enjoy unforgettable fall-winter

memories right here atMusic Hall. The earlyperformances of theCincinnati Ballet’s“Nutcracker” withMother Ginger and herskirt-full of “gumdrop”children dancers; or,any of Erich Kunzel’sholiday shows with allthose costumed “clog-gers” will live with usforever.

I’m guessing thatyou have your own share of MusicHall memories, so, sit back, andenjoy them once again. Or, betteryet, come back to Music Hall andcreate new memories. Since theyare best when shared, bring some-one with you to build new memo-

1 MUSIC HALL Marks

SPMH - President’s Message

Don Siekmann

Table of Contents

page 1

page 2

page 2

page 3

page 8

page 10

page 11

page 12

SPMH President’s Message . . . . . .

SPMH Mission Statement . . . . . . .

Board of Directors 2015 . . . . . . . . .

Annuall Meeting 2014 . . . . . . . . .

Meet New Board Members . . . . . .

Tour Program Coordinator Hired. .

Music Hall Projects Funded. . . . . .

50 Years of Preservation. . . . . . . . .

Happy Holidays’ Stars . . . . .

Music Hall Christmas 1914 .

The Shining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Summer Remembered . . . . . . . . .

Standing Tall for Music Hall . .

2013 - 2014 SPMH Members . .

Acknowledgements. . . . . . . .

Erin Horton, Photographer . .

page 13

page 15

page 18

page 21

page 22

page 24

page 29

page 30

President

Donald C. Siekmann

Immediate Past President

Norma Petersen

Vice Presidents

Joanne Grueter

Marcella Hsiung

Kathy Janson

Peter Koenig

Ed Rider

Recording Secretary

Karen McKim

Treasurer

Mark Weadick

Directors

Lisa Allison

Andrew Bowen

Meredith Downton

Melissa Godoy

Megan Hall

Barbara Harshman

William Henrich

Tricia Johnson

Ken Jones

Ken Kreider

Paul Muller

Ramon Rodriguez

Rosemary Schlachter

Sue Sommer

Bethany Vondran

Ronald Wehmeier

Ex Officio Directors

Patty Beggs

- Cincinnati Opera

Trey Devey - Cincinnati Symphony

Orchestra

Missie Santomo

- Cincinnati Ballet

Steven Sunderman

- Cincinnati May Festival

Life Member

Joyce Van Wye,

Co-Founder

Music Hall Liaison

Scott Santangelo

MUSIC HALL Marks 2

SPMH BOARD of Directors 2015

ries that will last your lifetime.Enjoy the CSO Holiday show, theMighty Wurlitzer concert, theCincinnati Opera’s 95th Anniver-sary Ball, or, Handel’s Messiah

with the May Festival Chorus.Lastly, I have an important re-

quest! Join us in the Society for thePreservation of Music Hall, where

your support will help make it pos-sible for future generations to cre-ate their own memories of ourhistoric Icon…. Music Hall. It’seasy; just use the enclosed enve-lope. Complete, and mail in. Wewill do the rest.

Hope to see you…..HERE!!- Don Siekmann

SPMH MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall

is to preserve, promote, improve, and provide education about Music Hall,

funding special projects in addition to Music Hall management’s opera-

tional and maintenance obligations, and facilitating communications among

Music Hall management, owner, and tenants, in order to perpetuate Music

Hall as the premier cultural center of the Region, and as a

National Historic Landmark of international significance.

The SPMH Annual Meetingwas held on Monday, September8th in Music Hall’s Corbett Audito-

rium. A cocktail/hors d’oeuvres re-ception with music provided by pi-anist, Don Hurd and flutist, Joan

Cavally delightedthe capacitycrowd. Before thepresentationsbegan membershad the opportu-nity to purchasetickets for “HappyHolidays with theMighty Wurlitzer”(December 11),Cincinnati Finds

its Voice DVD,and the SPMHMusic Hall orna-ment. Restoredand newly ac-quired panelsfrom the 1878Music Hall organscreen were ondisplay.

Board Presi-dent, Don Siek-

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Annual Meeting 2014

Pianist Don Hurd and Flutist Joan Cavally

Otto Budig, Jr., Don Siekmann and Murray Sinclaire, Jr.

Pianist Carol Walker, baritone Joseph Lattanzi, mezzo-soprano Adria Caffaro

mann, called the meeting to order.Drawing attention to the preceptsof the Mission Statement, he re-turned again and again to thetheme “Standing Tall for MusicHall,” emphasizing our commitmentto the Music Hall Revitalization. Heproceeded to highlight the activities

of our organization over the pastyear including growing our mem-bership; conservation projects andother funding efforts; the distribu-tion of MUSIC HALL Marks to4,000 readers; the wealth of timelyinformation on the websiteSPMHcincinnati.org; the successful

MUSIC HALL Marks 4

Mike & Kathy Janson, Tony Lang & Marcella Hsiung

Nancy Wagner, Ron Wehmeier and Patricia Wagner

Andrew Bowen

Peter Koenig

Ed RiderPatrick Korb, Barbara Hahn, Barbara Gould and David Klingshirn

Wurlitzer Concert Series; the ex-panded tour program.

Peter Koenig of the Nominat-ing Committee took the podium,thanking retiring Directors, Adri-enne Beaudet Cowden, Jodi

Geiser, Eugene Saenger, Jr., JohnSenhauser, and Jim Tarbell. Hewelcomed new Directors, MeganHall, Tricia Johnson, Kenneth Krei-der, Paul Muller and Bethany Von-dran. Peter stated that all current

Officers have beenelected to serve anotheryear.

Facilities Fundingwas addressed by EdRider. He reported thatin the past year mem-ber contributions andthe Corbett EndowmentFund have supportedthe preservation of thehistoric organ panelsand the cleaning of theReuben Springerstatue. Additionally,SPMH has donated$100,000 to the MusicHall Revitalization Com-pany as an advance to-ward our totalcommitment.

Andrew Bowenshared details of an ex-panded tour program,with increased advertis-ing, better docent visi-bility in red tour guidevests, and the plannedhiring of a part-time on-site tours coordinator.Following this presenta-tion, mezzo-sopranoAdria Caffaro and bari-tone Joseph Lattanzi,accompanied by pianistCarol Walker enter-tained with a lively se-

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Andrew Bowen, Lisa Allison, Peter Koenig and Gene Saenger

Elizabeth Allaire and Barbara Harshman

Emma and Erin Horton Linda Siekmann and Karen McKim

lection including Irving Berlin’s“Anything You Can Do”.

President Siekmann then intro-duced the evening’s guest speak-ers, Murray Sinclaire, Jr., Chair ofthe Cultural Facilities Task Forceand Otto Budig, Jr., President ofthe Music Hall Revitalization Co.Mr. Sinclaire summarized the her-culean work of the members of theTask Force (6,000 hours investedin a thoroughly vetted plan),voiced disappointment in theCounty Commissioners’ decision todelete Music Hall from the Novem-ber ballot, and underlined the extrasupport now required from thecommunity. “The Task Force is inthe process of developing Plan B”he said, “and private philanthropyis key in Plan B.” He emphasizedthat the Task Force is committed tofinding a solution for Music Hall. Anew funding model, securing pri-vate donors, finalizing the relation-ship with the City and mobilizinglovers of Music Hall to support theeffort are requirements of the solu-tion. “We have a hill to climb andthe hope is that by your next An-nual Meeting there will be a defini-tive plan.” “This is a jog not asprint” he added.

Don again took the micro-phone reiterating “we will alwaysbe here for Music Hall.” He recog-nized the great support of the Cor-bett Foundation and its ExecutiveDirector, Karen McKim. Referringto the work ahead he said “this is apuzzle we are trying to put togetherand there are many missingpieces.” Encouraging members to

vote in support of the County’s Mu-seum Center sales tax (Issue 8) heaffirmed that a loss in Novemberwould be very damaging to Music

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Steve Loftin, Don Siekmann and Van Ackerman

Scott Santangelo and Mark Weadick

Stacy Schmidt, Tammy Gentile and Jody Weithofer

Hall. Without the approximately$175 million from a successful pas-sage of the levy for the MuseumCenter, both buildings would againrequire funding from the same lim-ited sources.

With the words “I’ll just take amoment of your time” Otto Budignoted that one year ago he wasSPMH Annual Meeting guestspeaker and he had hoped thatboth Music Hall and the MuseumCenter would receive help from thesuccessful passage of the HamiltonCounty sales tax. He stated thatthe Music Hall Revitalization Com-pany is committed to working withthe Cultural Facilities Task Force

and Cincinnati Center City Devel-opment Corp. (3CDC) in formulat-ing a plan for Music Hall. Otto saidthat Steve Leeper, President andCEO of 3CDC considers the MusicHall renovation to be his signatureproject. “The organizations are notlooking to reduce the scope of the($123 million) renovation as part ofthe solution” and completing therenovations for patrons while main-taining acoustics of the Hall areparamount. “Timing though is be-coming critical” he stressed. The$40 million of private philanthropy,pledged largely on a handshake,must be secured. And the amountof that ‘anticipated’ $40 million rep-

resenting a contribu-tion for Music Hall isunknown. “Donor in-tent must be recog-nized.” And additionalfunding must be iden-tified.

Don thanked theguest speakers and allattendees, formallyending the meeting.

- Kathy Janson

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Marlene Johnson and Chris Neyer, Lee and Carol ColeKen Jones and Myra Greenberg

Holly Doan Spraul, Judy Prinz, Carmon DeLeone and Sue Doan

MUSIC HALL Marks 8

Meet New Board Members

SPMH has a tradition of at-tracting talented members of ourcommunity to serve as Directors. Itis with pleasure that the newestmembers of the Board are intro-duced.

Kenneth P. Kreider

Ken is a Partner with KeatingMuething & Klekamp PLL. Hepractices in the areas of real estatefinancing, taxation, zoning and em-inent domain, environmental is-sues, construction litigation, titleinsurance, among others. Ken wasnamed a Fellow of the AmericanCollege of Real Estate Lawyersand is certified as a specialist inBusiness, Commercial and Indus-trial Real Property Law by the OhioState Bar Association. He is a li-censed title insurance agent serv-

ing as Executive Vice President,Chairman of the Board, and Agentfor Riverbend Commercial TitleAgency, a wholly-owned subsidiaryof KMK. Among his many involve-ments, Ken has been active withthe Cincinnati, Ohio Historic Con-servation Board from 1998 to 2013.

Bethany A. Vondran

Bethany has been an AccountManager with Cincinnati PublicRadio WVXU, WGUC since 2013.In this capacity she creates radiomarketing campaigns, writing win-ning copy to achieve clients’ goals,while raising revenues for NPR Af-filiate, WVXU and all-Classical sta-tion, WGUC. Additionally sheassists clients in content creationand implementation of socialmedia plans.Currently she is a pro-

Ken Kreider, Bethany Vondran, Tricia Johnson, Megan Hall, Paul Muller

9 MUSIC HALL Marks

fessor at Cincinnati State in theareas of professional selling, prin-ciples of advertising, sales andmarketing. Bethany has a BFAfrom the University of Cincinnati,College Conservatory of Music inElectronics Media.

Tricia M. Johnson

Tricia is an Executive Directorwith Ernst and Young in the na-tional tax practice. With over 20years of experience, her public ac-counting career focus has been onhealth care and exempt organiza-tions. Relevant areas of expertiseinclude tax exemption and itsmaintenance, executive compen-sation structuring and related Form990 reporting and IRS examina-tions. A CPA, she is a graduate ofMiami University. Tricia is a fre-quent speaker on tax-exemptionissues, including local and nationalevents.

Megan B. Hall

With a Bachelor of Arts in Eco-nomics and Political Science fromthe University of Tennessee in2006 and a Juris Doctor fromSalmon P. Chase College of Law in2010, Megan is an associate attor-ney with the firm Kohnen & PattonLLP in Cincinnati. She practices

civil litigation in federal and statecourts in Ohio and Kentucky, pri-marily in the areas of employmentlaw and insurance defense. Meganhas worked for GE Aviation in mili-tary systems operation and Col-orado Catering Company inaccounting and human resources.To her credit she has a publishedwork Abraham Lincoln and the

Evolution of a Fee Simple Deed,36 N. Ky. L. Rev. 333

Paul Muller

A Principal with Muller Archi-tects, Inc., established in 1986,Paul is also Executive Director ofthe Cincinnati Preservation Associ-ation. A registered architect in thestates of Ohio, Indiana and Ken-tucky, he is widely recognized fordesign excellence. His body ofwork includes historic preservationprojects, residential commissions,exhibition design for museums,theater renovations, medical facili-ties and university buildings. Hehas been a member of a select fewparticipants in such prestigious ex-hibitions as the Paris Biennale,The Ecole des Beaux-Arts, theCooper Hewitt Museum of Design,the Royal Institute of British Archi-tects and the American Academy inRome.

To learn more about MUSIC HALL,

Past, Present and FutureVisit the SPMH Website

www.spmhcincinnati.org

MUSIC HALL Marks 10

Tour Program Coordinator HiredRamona Toussaint introduced

herself at the October 13th SPMHBoard meeting saying “there aretwo words to describe me, ‘overlyenthusiastic’!” The nineteen candi-dates who applied for the positionof Tour Program Coordi-nator were interviewedby SPMH/CAA staff.Three very well quali-fied individuals were in-terviewed a secondtime by the SPMH tourcommittee with Ra-mona being the candi-date hired. Ramona’sbackground is in thefields of marketing,community engagement and devel-opment. Her current experience in-cludes the positions of Director ofChildren’s Programs at the ArtAcademy, Board President andcurrent Chair of the DevelopmentCommittee of Community Sharesof Greater Cincinnati and Boardmember and Chair of Friends ofMUSE, Cincinnati’s Women’sChoir.

While the part-time position isprimarily responsible for coordinat-ing, organizing, advancing and pro-viding dedicated support to theSPMH tour program, some of theindividual duties include rewriting

the guide manual and designingtraining materials; supervising/scheduling volunteer guides andincreasing the pool of qualified tourguides; coordinating tours withCAA/Music Hall staff and accom-

modating walk-in visitorswhen possible; creat-ing/implementing mar-keting/outreachstrategies such astheme-based tours, withsocial media and pro-motional materials; de-veloping plans forpromoting SPMH activi-ties; maintaining mailinglists of SPMH members

and volunteers and assisting withSPMH special events.

Don Siekmann stated that thegoals of the Tour Program are thefollowing: to promote the preceptsof the SPMH Mission Statement; toincrease the number of tours of-fered; to develop tours that areamong the City’s best; to expandthe number of SPMH members;and to generate revenue to offsetsome of the total cost of tours. Insummarizing the goals, the respon-sibilities, and the qualifications re-quired, Don said that RamonaToussaint is “exactly the person wehave been looking for.”

Ramona Toussaint

To schedule a Tour call 744-3344 or rtoussaint@cincinnatiarts.org

Anyone who visits Music Hall’slobby is most certainly impressedwith the transformation of theReuben Springer statue. Free ofyears of grime, the Carrara marbleis again white thanks to the effortsof conservator Betsy Geiser. SPMHmay, at some future time, focus at-tention on restoring others of thehistoric portrait sculptures.

Two importantworks have re-cently been do-nated to the SPMHOrgan Panels Con-servation Project.In September, theMuseum Centerreturned the ‘Hon-eysuckle’ an 8 foothorizontal WilliamFry creation. The centerpiece wasoriginally positioned over the con-sole of the 1878 organ. It depicts alovely array of honeysucklebranches and near life-like songbirds. Much thanks to the MuseumCenter.

The Louis and Louise DieterleNippert Estate auction took placeon September 27th and 28th. Oneof the items in the original cata-logue was the top portion of an-other significant panel. Designedby Laura Fry and carved by her fa-ther, William, the ‘Mozart’ pieceshows delicate work with detailedivy leaves. This carving was a giftto Louise in the early 1970s when

the organ screen was dismantled.Thanks to Carter Randolph and theGreenacres Foundation, the carv-ing was removed from the auc-tioned items and gifted to SPMH.The back of the panel is carvedwith the inscription “Presented tothe Cinti Organ by Mrs. A. Hinkle”with the WF signature of WilliamFry. The larger rectangular panel,

to which it wasoriginally attached,is ‘The TrumpetVine’, which hadbeen displayed onMusic Hall’s northhall stairway wall.

SPMH contin-ues the search forothers of the nu-merous panels

from the famed organ screen. Pro-fessional work at Heller Conserva-tion in Nashville is ongoing withintention of eventual permanentdisplay in Corbett Tower. Donorsand Music Hall personnel were re-cipients of these in the early 1970sand some have been regifted tofamily, friends, sold or auctionedoff. If you have one in your posses-sion, please consider contactingSPMH about making arrangementsfor a return to Music Hall.

With gratitude to SPMH mem-bers and the Corbett Endowment,SPMH continues our all importantpreservation and improvement ef-forts.

Mozart Panel

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Music Hall Projects Funded

In honoring The CincinnatiPreservation Associa-tion’s 50th Anniver-sary, the CincinnatiMuseum Center hasput together an exhibi-tion “Celebrating 50Years of PreservationWorking Together Sav-ing Places”. Highlight-ing the evolution of thepreservation move-ment from its earlyfocus on individualbuildings to its currentrole in reviving entireneighborhoods, theexhibit is replete withstories, building mod-els, blueprints andCincinnati artifacts.The exhibition, locatedin the Culture Gallery,opened on September27th, closes April 5thand is free to the pub-lic.

SPMH is partici-pating with a MusicHall informational walldisplay and with aunique exhibitionentry, the newly re-stored ‘Garden Panel’

from the screen of Music Hall’s1878 Hook and Hastingsorgan. The panel is repre-sentative of the 19th cen-tury ‘Cincinnati Art-CarvedFurniture Movement’made famous by carversHenry and William Fry,Ben Pitman and their stu-dents.

Recognizing thatCincinnati was losing his-toric sites and buildings atan alarming rate, a groupof concerned citizensbanded together 50 yearsago to convince the popu-lace to reconsider therush to demolish in favorof efforts to preserve andrestore that which is irre-placeable. Their effortspaid off in generating en-thusiasm for and appreci-ation of greater Cincinnatiheritage. Today, largelybecause of the efforts ofsuch like-minded organi-zations as the CincinnatiPreservation Association,historic preservation hasbecome a central part ofcity planning.

MUSIC HALL Marks 12

50 Years of Preservation

Garden Panel

Exhibit: Culture Gallery of Museum CenterThrough April 5th

Mon.—Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Happy Holidays’ Stars

Come for the cheer as SPMHpresents a dazzling show with theMighty Wurlitzer in the ‘WinterWonderland’ of Music Hall’s Ball-room, Thursday, December 11th,10:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.!

Mark Herman is one of Amer-ica’s busiest young theatre organ-ists, performing over 30 concertsand silent film presentations eachyear across the U.S. and abroad. InJuly 2012, he was named the

American Theatre Organ Society’sOrganist of the Year and is theyoungest person ever (born in1987) to receive the prestigioushonor. He studied theatre organwith John Ferguson of Indianapolis,recognized worldwide for his skillsas a teacher. Mark’s classical pianostudies were with Christine Free-man of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Heearned a Bachelor of Fine Arts de-gree in Theatre Arts/Management

All Seats Now Reserved - $25 ($20 for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more)

• CincinnatiArts.org • Arnoff Center / Music Hall Ticket office

• (513) 621 - Arts (2787) • Group Discount (10+): (513) 977 - 4157

The Society For The Preservation

of Music Hallpresents

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Tickets:

Thursday, December 11, 201410:30 AM & 7:00 PM, Cincinnati Music Hall Ballroom

with the

MIGHTY WURLITZERIn cooperation with the Ohio Valley Chapter

of the American Theatre Organ Society

featuring:

Theatre-Organist Mark HermanThe School for the Creative and Performing Arts Children’s Choir

Dancers of the Cincinnati Ballet Otto M. Budig Academy

MUSIC HALL Marks 14

from DePaul University in Chicago.Mark currently resides in Los Ange-les, where he is President andTonal Director of the Los AngelesOrgan Company, the Allen Organdealer for the Greater Los AngelesArea. He is in demand as a voicingspecialist andtonal consultantfor Allen Organs.Herman returnsto the Music HallBallroom wherehe was guestperforming artistfor the SPMH‘Happy Holidays’in December2012.

Organ fansfrom around theworld haveheard the Mighty Wurlitzer in ourbeloved Music Hall. The organ hasquite a history. Built in 1927 for thefamed Albee Theatre, it made itsway to the Emery Theatre, was putinto storage, and finally, was rebuiltand installed in the Music Hall Ball-room by Ron Wehmeier, of RonaldF. Wehmeier, Inc. Pipe Organ Serv-ices, for its November 2009 dedica-tion. As part of the AmericanTheatre Organ Society’s annualconvention held in Indianapolis inJuly 2014, Cincinnati was the desti-nation for an ‘Encore’ series ofevents including a delightful after-noon at Music Hall, with Mark Her-man at the keys of the MightyWurlitzer. Don Feely, in the mostrecent copy of the Journal of the

American Theatre Society, wrotethat “the organ is aural perfectionand the ballroom is stunning. Thisinstallation, in such a storied musi-cal landmark, is a feather in the capof Cincinnati—how fortunate wewere to be able to experience it

today!”The School

for Creative andPerforming Arts,founded in 1973is a world classpublic arts schoolwhere dedicatedstudents preparefor a lifelong in-volvement inartistic andscholastic pur-suits. The VocalProgram has sev-

eral levels and choir groups includ-ing The Children’s Choir for grades4-7, directed by Laurie Wyant-Zenni.

Cincinnati Ballet Otto M. BudigAcademy was founded in 1997 andhas built a reputation as one of thefinest programs in the nation.Taught by nationally and interna-tionally recognized faculty, Cincin-nati Ballet Academy offers acomprehensive dance educationthrough three programs: Children’sDivision, Main Division and AdultDivision as well as five differentsummer programs. The primarygoal at Cincinnati Ballet Academyis to provide excellence in technicaland artistic training and to inspire alove of dance.

SCPA Children’s Choir

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Music Hall Christmas 1914

“Hundreds of women, manycarrying emaciated infants,crowded around the Citadel of theSalvation Army, on East EighthStreet, clamoring for tickets enti-tling them to baskets of provisions(a chicken, potatoes, bread, a canof peas, sausages, celery, pie, cof-fee, sugar, milk and a copy of theWar Cry), and admission to MusicHall for their children on ChristmasEve. The crowd began to arrive at8 a.m. and although upward of1,200 tickets had been distributedby 4 p.m., a large assemblagewaited beyond that hour to get theirbits of pasteboard. The women hadbeen notified by letter that theircases had been investigated andfound worthy to call for their tickets.At the children’s party at Music Hallthe visitors will be given candy andtoys. Santa Clause is a little shortof presents this year. Five hundredor more poor little boys and girlswon’t get any toys if Cincinnatiansdon’t jump in and give the chubbyold gentleman a lift. Brigadier Dun-ham of the Salvation Army, is ask-ing for about 1,000 toys for the 500children referred to. Persons hav-ing playthings that they have nofurther use for will confer a great

obligation on Santa Claus andBrigadier Dunham if they will leavethem at the southeast corner atSeventh and Race streets, thearmy’s toy storeroom. No matter ifthe toy soldier has a broken leg orthe woolly dog is minus an ear,bring them in. Brigadier Dunhamwill have the items repaired andthey will look as good as new tosome unfortunate tot on the morn-ing of ‘the great day’. ‘Street pot’collections fell off from the corre-sponding date last year due to thebad weather and the populace’slack of money. Two Christmastrees will be at the Home of theFriendless on Friday (Christmasday) one for the tiny babies, whichwill of course be a little tree, and alarge one for the mothers and otherinmates of the Home.” So was re-ported by the Cincinnati Enquireron December 22, 1914, the activi-ties of the Salvation Army in prepa-ration for Christmas.

Arrangements were made for4,000 of the city’s poorest childrento attend the biggest party of itskind in the history of Cincinnati tobe held at Music Hall on Thursday,December 24th. It was plannedthat the guests, all of whom had re-

served seats, with many sitting ontheir mother’s lap, would be giventoys cast off by the children ofCincinnati. But the number of offer-ings fell short until a large numberof toys were delivered to the Salva-tion Army by the Cincinnati andNorwood schools late in the day ofDecember 22nd. It was noted thatthe school children took special de-light in mending their old toys andwrapping them tomake the lives ofthe less fortunatebrighter. Privatesources also do-nated books anditems of wearingapparel, all neatlywrapped, with des-ignation as to ageand gender appro-priateness, and agreeting card forChristmas cheer.Wagon loads ofthe gifts made thetrek from the central station at Sev-enth and Race to Music Hall butsome of the gifts from outlyingareas, nearly failed to reach thedestination in time, due to the icyconditions of the streets.

Superintendent Condon of thepublic schools agreed to dismiss allstudents at noon on Christmas Eveso that the invited guests wouldhave time to get to Music Hall. W.Kesley Schoepf donated funds forcar tickets for those children not liv-ing within walking distance.

On the morning of December

23rd a 35 foot Christmas tree washoisted up and installed on theMusic Hall stage. So monstrouswas the tree that many brancheshad to be cut off for it to fit on thehuge stage. Wired with 375 electriclights, the tree was absolutely fire-proofed with a new chemical spraywhich had not yet made its appear-ance on the market. A company ofladies from various parts of the city

undertook the taskof decoration withhand-sewn itemsand bags of can-dies.

On ChristmasEve, the doors ofthe great Hallopened at 3 o’clockfor the 4 o’clockstart of the party.4,000 boys andgirls with theirmothers excitedlytook their seats.While the audience

waited for Santa to arrive from therooftops, 4 year-old Eva Dunham,Brigadier Dunham’s youngestdaughter, found Santa resting in abox behind the curtains. Tugging athis sleeve, she told him she wanteda teddy bear, a kewpie, a babybuggy, a….. Efforts to coax Evaaway failed to dissuade her. “Goin’to stay with Santy Claus all day”she announced. Then the curtainsarose revealing the immense tree,brilliant with lights and the 4,000presents piled around it. Never be-fore had anyone in the audience

MUSIC HALL Marks 16

seen anything like it! Brigadier Dun-ham introduced Mayor Spiegel whotold the children that one day theywould be able to give presents toboys and girls who were poor also.“When the spirit of giving prevailsmore freely throughout the worldthere will be no more wars like theterrible one now going on in Eu-rope” he said. Shortly thereafter,the musical entertainment began,the ‘Brownie Drill’, a Christmaspantomime, and the sleight-of-handtricks performed by William Moore.All the while the crowd was becom-ing more and more restless. J.R.Slayten seized the sleigh bells andshaking them violently, prancedover the stage behind the wings,unseen, in imitation of reindeer.Suddenly Santa appeared and thechildren shrieked with glee! Colonel

James Allison played ‘Santa’ andwhat a grand Santa he was! Hedid, however, confide to a reporterthat “I hope my whiskers don’t falloff.”

The tykes were then permittedto come to the stage to receivetheir gifts. Although many childrenwere ill and could not attend, Santadid not forget them, distributingpackages to mothers who came toaccept their toys. One such mother,after telling Santa that her little girlwas very sick at home with scarletfever, was given the largest doll inthe glorious mountain of gifts. Un-doubtedly, this was one of the hap-piest days in the history of MusicHall.

(Courtesy of ProQuest Historical Newspa-pers Hamilton County Public Library))

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Available at the Bravo Shop

Rosette & Coffered CeilingRookwood Porcelain Ornament

Music Hall Crystal OrnamentRose Window Crystal Ornament

Perfect for Gifting or Keeping

A task undertaken at leastevery other year is the cleaningand relamping of the Springer Audi-torium Chandelier. Lowered to nearfloor level, the tedious work is ac-complished, carefully, by a four-person crew headed by technicaldirector Gary Kidney. On August20th, he explained the involvementin great detail while wiping downeach crystal with warm water and asoft cloth. Composed of 96 crystalcups, 204 hanging medallions, 252

crystal strands and 96 round flow-ers, the chandelier has a total of7,464 crystals. At 21 feet in diame-ter, 16 feet tall and weighing 2 tons,it is the city’s largest light fixture.Work on the chandelier, the bas-kets and sconces on the wallstakes all of 3 days. At that point thecrew moves on to the five smallerchandeliers in the lobby and hall-ways.

Designed in 1967 by a local ar-chitectural firm headed by George

The Shining “Cleaning of Music Hall’s Chandelier Closeup and Rarely Seen”

Lowered chandelier for maintenance and cleaning

MUSIC HALL Marks 18

Close-up of signatures of the cleaning crew

F. Schatz, the baroque- stylebronze and crystal chandelier wasmanufactured in Czechoslovakia,at a cost of $87,000. Installed in

1969, the fixture is attached to awinch mechanism that is hookedsecurely into Music Hall’s roof. Themechanism, at that time, cost

Gary Kidney works on the chandelier as Kathy Janson watches with amazement.

19 MUSIC HALL Marks

MUSIC HALL Marks 20

$13,000. Mr. Kidneyhas been cleaning thechandelier for morethan 20 years. He andthe crew initial theinner part of thebronze fittings aftereach cleaning. Un-seen by the averageviewer from the seatsfar below (55 feet) thesignatures are nonethe less a testimonialto the fine work of thecrew and their ‘craft’.

Crystal beads, flowers and medallions

Electrician Paul Stafford checks lighting connections

Lumenocity 2014 may be his-tory, but what a stupendous suc-cess the three day light festival,and the vivid images are not soonforgotten! Subsequent to theevent, the Carol Ann and Ralph V.Haile, Jr. / US Bank Foundationpaid for the illumination of theMusic Hall Rose Window. The 30’diameter, eight-petaled, wood-trac-eried, Rose Window, framed by ahuge Gothic arch, is the center-

piece of Music Hall. The illumina-tion, on a timed mechanism, gavea ‘kaleidoscope’ effect of changingcolors for several hours, beginningaround 8:30 nightly. For a period ofseveral months the window wasablaze and was quite striking! Thespectacular Lumenocity 2014 withthe additional extended illumina-tion of the Music Hall Rose Win-dow, made for a wonderful showand a summer to remember!

Summer Remembered

Lumenocity 2014 and time lapse of Music Hall’s illuminated Rose Window

21 MUSIC HALL Marks

Few have the courage to showsupport for Music Hall in the waythat a child did on the night of July23rd. With the introduction “Hi, I’mreally tiny and my name is Emma,”the eleven-year-old addressedthree Hamilton County Commis-sioners at the Sharonville Conven-tion Center public hearing. Sheproceeded to tellthe reasons whyMusic Hall andthe MuseumCenter are impor-tant to her and toher generationand she urgedthe Commission-ers to put both in-stitutions on theNovember ballot.Though ‘tiny’ she‘stood tall forMusic Hall.’

You too can“Stand Tall” forthis magnificentbuilding. If youare not now amember, joinSPMH by mailingthe enclosed en-velope. Encourage a friend or twoto join as well. Learn some fasci-nating history and keep on top ofcurrent activities of SPMH by visit-ing the website www.spmhcincin-nati.org . Take a tour with your

group or family, there are manytours from which to choose andsome are ‘themed’ or can be tai-lored to your specific interests. Whynot consider becoming a tourguide? That is one of the best waysto learn a great deal of Music Hallhistory and a fun way to meet peo-ple from near and far! Contact

SPMH ProgramTour CoordinatorRamona Toussaint atrtoussaint@cincin-natiarts.com or(513) 744-3344.

Attend func-tions at Music Hall,encourage yourfriends, introduce achild to thevenue—‘Lollipops’is not just fun forthe little ones! Taketime to explore be-fore a perform-ance. The artworks and histori-cal markers arewell worth the time.Are you aware thatin addition toOpera, May Festi-

val, Classical, Pops, Children’s, our‘Mighty Wurlitzer’ and other con-certs, there are Big Band Dances inthe Ballroom (Glen Miller May2014, Tommy Dorsey November2014); shows such as the Cincin-

MUSIC HALL Marks 22

Standing Tall for Music Hall

Emma Horton, ‘Standing Tall’

nati Art and Antiques Festival (Oc-tober 2014) and Design Build Cincy(November 2014); After HoursBridal Show, featuring the latest inwedding trends (November 2014);Holiday Craft Show (November2014); a number of touring per-formances; conferences; awardceremonies; etc.? Access the cal-endar at http://local.cincinnati.com/calendar/calendar.asp and in theSearch by Keyword line type MusicHall. There you will find all the ‘hap-penings’. Or go to www.cincinna-tiarts.org.

Planning a big event, reunion,wedding, prom, graduation, busi-ness meeting, conference,fundraiser, perhaps asmaller intimate gather-ing, a club luncheon, abirthday, anniversary,other celebration, a booksigning, exhibit? Considerthe numerous possibilitiesof Music Hall. TheSpringer Auditorium,lobby, ballroom, CorbettTower, Critics’ Club are allavailable for rent and canaccommodate groups of

all sizes. Helpful planning andevent staff are available, with opencatering, a full service liquor li-cense, professional security andstaff, adjacent parking facilities,everything you need for a memo-rable time. Contact Terri Kidney,Music Hall Rental Manager at tkid-ney@cincinnatiarts.org or (513)744-3242.

Our one-of-a-kind Music Hallattracts people from all over theworld. At the Heart of an exciting‘rebirthed’ Over-the-Rhine, its his-tory is our history. It is a source ofpride and deserves our attention,our care, our participation and use.“Stand Tall for Music Hall!”

23 MUSIC HALL Marks

Public Hearing with Hamilton County Commissioners

Society for the Preservation of Music Hall

Renew your membership or join today by using the enclosed envelope.

www.spmhcincinnati.org.

- Thank You!

MUSIC HALL Marks 24

A

Charles & Mary Abbott

Judith H. & James R. Adams

Lisa & David Allison

The Alpaugh Foundation

Carolyn B. Anderson

Mr. & Mrs. Frank Andress

Anonymous

Edward Apfel

Nancy J. Apfel

Vicky Aronoff

Aronoff Center Volunteer Dept.

Thomas Ashwell

Mr. Donald Auberger

Mary Lou Aufmann

B

Nancy & William Bahlman, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Carroll R. Baker

Iris G. Ball

Michael & Kimberly Baranowski

George Barnard

Earvy & Glenda Bates

Christopher & Annie Baucom Family Fund

Robert A. Bauer

William & Kate Baumann

Beck Architecture - Donald Beck

Mr. & Mrs. Sheal L. Becker

George & Carol Beddie

Mrs. Patricia Beggs

Drs. Leslie & Carol Benet

Mrs. Thomas S. Benjamin

Ellen A. Berghamer

Mary Bergstein

Eileen Berke

Bruce & Barbara Best

Edward Betz, Jr.

Todd Bezold

David & Elaine Billmire

Nancy Kohnen Black

Kathryn Blackburn

Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. Blum, Jr.

Ken Bordwell & Marianne Curtiss

Jennifer G. and Andrew C. Bowen

Marilynn K. Braude

Lori Bridgers

Mr. & Mrs. R. Richard Broxon

James & Carolyn Bruckmann

Thomas G. Bruckmann

Trish & Rick Bryan

Otto M. Budig, Jr.

Richard and Roberta Bull

Ann J. Bunis

C

CAA Staff

Sherry L. Caito

Deborah W. Campbell

Mrs. Mary E. Carroll

Tina L. Carroll

Mr. & Mrs. Steven Carlson

Edward & Susan Castleberry

Joan Cavally

Cincinnati Research & Paranormal Studies

Cincinnati Stage Employees Local No. 5

Nancy R. Clagett

Joan & Joe Clear

Lawrence W. Cline & Robert R. Radon

John & Theresa Clock

James & Esther Coffey

Dr. & Mrs. John & Julie Cohen

Mr. & Mrs. Phillip T. Cohen

Anthony F. Cole

Leland M. & Carol C. Cole

Sheila & Christopher Cole

John P. & Rosemary Connole

Corbett Foundation

William & Paula Cordes

2013 - 2014 SPMH Members

25 MUSIC HALL Marks

Ralph Corley

Robin Cotton & Cindi Fitton

Adrienne B. Cowden

J. Edgar & Jane G. Cox

Mary & Timothy Coyne

Paul & Janice Crumrine

D

Janet R. Dalton

Mark Dauner

Karen G. Davis

Carmon DeLeone

Sally H. Dessauer

Trey Devey

Jay & Jackie DeWitt

Dr. Karen Dinsmore

Paul Dirkes, D.D.S

Wayne & Mary Jo Doebling

Jean Z. Donaldson

Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Downton III

Marjorie W. Drackett

Mr. & Mrs. David W. Dressler

Sandra & Richard Drewes

Tom & Pat Dreyer

Mrs. Suzanne Frankel-Dunbar

Richard B. Dusterberg

E

David Eager

Harold & Linda Eberenz

Janet & Joel Ebersole

Ann Ellison

Mr. Charles N. Ellman

Constance Elsaesser

F

Jim & Jan Ferguson

Mr. & Mrs. John W. Fischer lll

Hilliard J. Fjord

Mrs. Charles Fleischmann

Doris A. Fluck

Ms. Rochelle Fradkin

Tom & Peggy Frank

Carl & Terrill Freese

Therese A. Froehle

Ashley & Bobbie Ford

Sue Friedlander

Dr. & Mrs. Harry F. Fry

Patricia K. Fry

G

Marie Gallagher

Kathy & Joe Ganim

Neil & Linda Gartner

Ms. Susanne E. Geier

Jodi M. Geiser

Evelyn M. Gerdes

L. Timothy Giglio

S. Bradley Gillaugh

Gary L. Gilmer

Mary & Jack Gimpel

Ralph Ginocchio

David N. Ginsburg

Renate & Jerry Glenn

Melissa Godoy

Clifford J. Goosmann & Andrea Wilson

Thomas C. Graber

Martha A. Gramss

Steven & Sue Grendel

William E. Griess

Robert Groszer & Donna Wirth

Kathy Grote

Joanne Grueter

Marilynn R. Guertler

H - I

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Haberstroh

Priscilla G. Haffner

Summers & Jeannette Hagerman

Jack & Barbara Hahn

Dr. Kelly Hale

Megan Hall

Mercedes M. Hance

Tom & Jan Hardy

John Harig

Dr. & Mrs. Morton Harshman

MUSIC HALL Marks 26

Emma D. Hartkemeier

Dr. Robert & Suzanne Hasl

Lenore Hatfield

Trautlinde R. Heater

Anne P. Heldman

Mr. & Mrs. John Heldman

Thomas & Dawn Heller

Robert & Patricia Henley

Shirley Henrich

William E. Henrich

Alison Herschede

Sandra T. Hitzler

Daniel J. Hoffheimer

Mrs. Florette B. Hoffheimer

Ruth C. Holthaus

Bob & Dolly Holzwarth

Edmond A. Hooker

Debora Hopper

Ruth Ann Hopper

Joe & Dana Hopper

Marcella Hsiung & Tony Lang

Carolyn Ruth Hunt

Nancy E. Hunter

Wetzel Hurst

J

Atarah Jablonsky

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Janson

Tommie J. Jenkins

Henry L. Jennings

Linda Busken Jergens

Jean C. Jett

Ann M. Johnson

Marlene R. Johnson

Robert L. Johnson

Tricia & Eric Johnson

Ken Jones

Nathaniel Jones

Mr. Robert M. Jones

Mary Ann Jordan

Jay & Shirley Joyce

Mace Justice

K

KeyBank Foundation

David A. Klingshirn

Eileen K. Knollman

Kenneth & Mary Jane Knollman

Christopher Knoop & Carol Grasha

Lee Koehler

Peter Koenig

Patrick M. Korb

Carol & Scott Kosarko

Ken & Sue Kramer

Kenneth P. Kreider

Carol L. Kruse

Theresa M. Kuhn

L

Susan Laffoon

Thomas & Jane Lake

Frederick H. Lampe

Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Laney

Ms. Cynthia A. Leslie

Brad & Marsha Lindner

Calvin & Patricia Linnemann

Adele & Thomas Lippert

Ginger & Steve Loftin

Dr. & Mrs. Edward E. Loftspring

Dr. & Mrs. Joseph T. Luttmer

Dr. Jennifer Loggie

Carl & Joyce Lohstroh

Whitney & Phillip Long

Dan & Joyce Lorey

Joanie & Bill Lotts

Susie & Jack Louiso

Dr. & Mrs. Franklin Lowe

Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Lowenstein

Dr. & Mrs. Joseph T. Luttmer

Mary Reed Lyon

M

Helene & Millard Mack

Anita & Ed Marks

Judith L. Martin

J. Cromer Mashburn Family Foundation

27 MUSIC HALL Marks

David J. Mason

Bobbie Maybrier

James & Rebecca McDermott

Dr. & Mrs. William McKim, Jr.

Charlotte McNary

Danielle M. Meiners

Gene Melton

James & Sarah Michael

Mr. Jerome M. Miller

David & Martha Millett

Herta L. Moore

Regeana & Al Morgan

John & Frances Morris

Wayne Morse

Marjorie Motch

Paul Muller

Patti Myers & Alan Flaherty

N

Timothy S. Needler

Jerry & Monica Nerl

Janet C. Neumann

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Neyer

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Nitz

Ray & Patti Normile

Carol Norris

O

Jane & Ervin Oberschmidt

Tamar & Alan Oestreich

William & Janet Oligee

Fred & Leila Oliver

Robert & Anne Olson

Robert W. Olson

Sylvia E. Osterday

Marilyn Z. Ott

P

Judge Mark and Sue Ann Painter

Mrs. Mary L. Palmer

Ms. Lavonia F. Payton

Carol & James Pearce

Mark & Kim Pearson

Gloria & Bradley Pemberton

Rick Pender

Mr. & Mrs. John E. Pepper, Jr.

Mrs. Norma Petersen

Alice & David Phillips

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph A. Pichler

Anne & Charlie Pierce

Mr. & Mrs. John W. Plattner

Timothy L. Pohlman, D.D.S.

James Popejoy

Judith & Ron Porges

Barbara & Michael Porte

Wyn & Jan Portman

Scott Provancher & Teresa Hoelle

Amanda H. Prus

Q - R

Cliff & Debbie Radel

Maribeth & Martin Rahe

J. Lee Rasmussen

Jean Ratcliff

Joan F. Reckseit, Ph. D.

Timothy & Paulette Reed

Sandy & Frank Reeder

David & Marilyn Reichert

Kathleen Reinmann

Prof. Edward J. Requardt

Ms. Alene W. Rice

Melody Sawyer Richardson

Ed & Barb Rider

Ramon Rodriguez

Edward & Nancy Rosenthal

Solveiga Rush

Margene Ryberg

S

Saenger Family Foundation

Joyce & James Salinger

Betty Salzer

Scott Santangelo

Melissa Santomo

Mr. & Mrs. Eric Schaumloffel

Mr. Thomas R. Schiff

MUSIC HALL Marks 28

Rosemary & Mark Schlachter

Stacy Sommer Schmidt

Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Schmitz

Charlotte & Richard Schnitz

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Schorr

Mrs. Zell Schulman

Joseph T. Schwab

T. L. & Debra Schwartz Foundation

David & Martha Seagram

Martha Seaman

Mildred J. Selonick

John C. Senhauser

Trudie & Kurt Seybold

Jon & Jacqueline Seymour

Gwendolyn Shapiro

Julie Shifman

Ms. Carolyn R. Shine

Eleanor Shott

Eli Shupe & Toby Ruben

Brian & Julie Siekmann

Donald & Linda Siekmann

Jim & Linda Simpson

Yvette Simpson

Murray & Robin Sinclaire

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Sittenfeld

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Skidmore

Sally Skillman & Nancy McGaughey

Adrienne A. Smith

Genevieve Smith & Charlotte Smith

(deceased)

William & Judith Smith

Elizabeth A. Snyder

Sisters of the Transfiguration

Bill & Sue Sommer

Marie F. Speziale

Richard & Lois Sprigg

Cherry & Bob Staab

Mr. & Mrs. Ethan B. Stanley

Mrs. Edward P. Staubitz

Mr. J. R. (Bob) Steelman

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman

Julia & David Stephen

Mary S. Stern

Amy Stier & Jeff Brown

Steven R. Sunderman

Mr. Dale Swisher

T – U

Dudley S. Taft

Thomas L. Tallentire

Dr. & Mrs. Shiro Tanaka

Jim Tarbell

Dr. & Mrs. John M. Tew, Jr.

Sue Thacker

Jonathan Theders

Norman J. Thomas

James L. Thompson

Janet G. Todd

Marcella G. Trice

Mr. & Mrs. James S. Trowbridge

V

Madge Vanbuskirk

Joyce Van Wye

Ruth Ann Voet

Bethany A. Vondran

Jane & Jon Votel

W

Nancy C. Wagner

Patricia M. Wagner

Dr. & Mrs. Elmer Wahl

Lois M. Walsh

Jack & Leann Ward

JoAnn & Paul Ward

Mr. & Mrs. Frederick D. Warren

Paula J. Watters

Wayne Wauligman, D. D. S.

Mark & Lisa Weadick

Mrs. William N. Weed (Katie)

Mr. Ron Wehmeier

The Welchwood Foundation

Gary & Diane West

Mike & Sue West

Mr. & Mrs. David Westerbeck

29 MUSIC HALL Marks

Franklin H. White

Julie A. Whitmer

George & Kathy Wilkinson

Dr. & Mrs. James Willis

Betty Ann Wolf

Shelby Wood

Stacey & Kathryn Woolley

X - Y

John M. Yacher

Margaret Yeiser

Ralph & June Young

Z

Dr. & Mrs. Daryl N. Zeigler

Dr. & Mrs. Robert W. Ziegler III

Please let us know if we have duplicated, omitted or misspelled your name

Call (513) 744-3293 or Admin@spmhcincinnati.org

Acknowledgements

Editor

Kathy Janson

Contributing Writers

Kathy JansonDon Siekmann

CoverErin Horton

Design and Layout

Creative Flair Co.

Photo Credits

Phil GroshongErin HortonKathy JansonScott Santangelo

Printing

Berman Printing Company

“I would maintain that Thanks are the highest form of thought, And that Gratitude is Happiness

doubled by wonder.”- G. K. Chesterton

With Thanks and Gratitude to our Members!

To View back Issues of Music Hall Marks visit:

www.spmhcincinnati.org

Most recently featured in theJuly 4th edition of the Cincinnati

Enquirer, Erin Horton’s photograph‘Two Sisters’ was a touching sceneof two young girls experiencing thethrill of our Nation’s most importantcelebration. Striv-ing to capture the‘moment’ herworks nonethe-less paint a storyin emotive detail.“I love capturingthe candid andunplanned,” shestates. “I’ve re-cently developed a renewed inter-est in local history. Combiningthese two is my next challenge. I’malways searching for the one per-spective that makes a subjectcome alive.”

The cover, the Springer Audito-rium Chandelier, is taken from anangle seldom viewed by visitors toMusic Hall, as the gigantic master-piece was photographed from a re-cumbent floor position during itscleaning in August. While photogra-phy is a passion, Horton is profes-sionally trained in the Healthcare

Industry working most recently as aCertified EPIC Anesthesia Consult-ant for various hospitals throughoutthe country. She is active in thelocal community as a volunteerwith the Cincinnati Children’s Choir

(in residence at CCM),among other causes. Erinresides in Fort Thomas,Kentucky with her husbandand three young daughters.

MUSIC HALL Marks 30

‘Two Sisters’

Erin Horton

Erin Horton, Photographer

“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”

- Henry David Thoreau

MUSIC HALL Marks is a Publication of

The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

www.spmhcincinnati.orgAdmin@spmhcincinnati.org