Tuesday Musical Club Performing Departments

Our club features three performing departments that provide opportunities for our members to put their musical talents on display for the enjoyment of their friends and fellow members. 

TMC Choir

The Choir performs at the club’s December program and presents a concert every spring, too. We welcome new singers. The group rehearses at the clubhouse on Thursdays from 10:00-11:30 a.m. under the direction of Cheryl Crews.  If you are interested in joining us, send an email to satuesdaymusicalclub@gmail.com,  with subject, "Choir." 

The choir’s repertoire consists of a variety of musical styles, from Baroque to Contemporary, from folk music and madrigals to spirituals and novelty songs. Occasionally we have flute, string, or percussion accompaniment, in addition to piano. Our accompanist extraordinaire is TMC member Claire Matecko.

We are fortunate to have had Cheryl as our director since 2011. She is a graduate of Westminster Choir College and has a master’s degree in choral conducting from Southern Methodist University. She has lived all over the world and has directed choirs of every age group. Her expertise and enthusiasm for our choir make singing with the group a complete delight.

Established just after the club was formed, in 1905, the choir was originally called the Tuesday Auxiliary Chorus, and is the oldest of the club’s performing departments. Not long after its formation, the name was changed to the Chaminade Choral Society, to honor Cecile Chaminade, a French composer. Early on, the group performed not only for the TMC, but also at Scottish Rite Cathedral, the St. Anthony and Menger hotels, and the San Pedro Playhouse.

Carl Hahn was the choir’s first director, followed by Jose D’Acugna, Julian Paul Blitz, David Griffin, and Walter Dunham. Later, John M. Steinfeldt, an accomplished composer and conductor, was director of the choir, and was honored for his contributions to the club at a dinner in 1929.

In the late 1930’s the Chaminade Society disbanded, but many of its members stayed on as members of a TMC choir, with Charles Stone as its director. He directed the choir in three selections which closed the dedication program for the new TMC building on March 19, 1950.

Later choir directors included Elinor Duff and Jerome Malek. Both of these fine musicians also transcribed a great deal of music for female voices, and the choir still uses their arrangements frequently in our programs.

TMC String Ensemble

The String Ensemble performs two major concerts during the TMC season. The first is as a part of the Christmas program which includes a number of other performing groups. The second is at the end of the season each spring.

Rehearsals are held on Wednesdays from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the clubhouse. The ensemble members always welcome new players.

The String Ensemble conductor is Terence Frazor. He has conducted the TMC group for the last twelve years, ushering in the String Ensemble’s second century of music making. Maestro Frazor has an impressive conducting career and founded the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a member of the music faculty at the University of the Incarnate Word and conducts the university’s orchestra. Many members of the String Ensemble play in the UIW Orchestra.

The String Ensemble dates to 1913 when a string octet was formed. Soon the group sponsored violin competitions, innovative for south Texas. The membership has varied in size over the years and currently has between twelve and fifteen members, covering the four string areas. Often soloists on other instruments join the ensemble when required by repertoire choices.  Repertoire ranges from Baroque to Contemporary music.

TMC Piano Ensembles

Our club's piano department has been in effect since 1906, when an octet of pianists presented its first performance.  After celebrating a 100th anniversary, the practice and performing are still going strong.

A qualified coach is hired to oversee the Duo season and lessons begin monthly from September through February, with annual recitals later that month, on a Sunday afternoon, and again for the following Tuesday regular meeting.   Up to 6 teams can be accommodated  in the time allotted. These are two of the best attended events of the TMC season.

Potential Duo members are encouraged to choose their own partners, although advice from others can assist.  Compatibility in level of advancement and unity of mind mean a great deal when rehearsing and taking lessons for 6-7 consecutive months.  They spend many hours together, honing their chosen pieces, and some of it is intense! It is recommended that one hears a TMC recital before joining the department, and that the level of piano competence be at the Intermediate to Upper Intermediate level. 

In 1927, the TMC pianists outdid themselves! Not only two pianos, but 26, presented a concert in honor of the centennial of Beethoven's death at the Municipal Auditorium. 

When the current clubhouse was built, several members flew to the Steinway factory on Long Island, New York, to select two  compatible grand pianos to be built for the club (1 B and 1 D).  Decades later, the club replaced them with two "Bs," still in constant use today. We also have a large library of classical literature from which Duos members may draw: duets, 4-hand and 8 hand.

Historically, many participants in the Duos Department had long "careers" playing for the TMC. For example, when members Betty Biedenharn and Nancy Creamer graduated from Trinity University's Master's degree program, their senior recital was a duo-recital. They continued in TMC Duos for another 25 years. Rosalie Bolner and Jeanne Dawson met while attending Our Lady of the Lake University and became a TMC Duo team after graduation, not missing any of the ensuing 40 years on our stage.