Music School

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Arnold Volpe
Arnold Volpe, one of the original faculty members, joined the School of Music in 1926. He founded the University Orchestra and led its first concert on March 6, 1927, in the Anastasia Building Auditorium. The orchestra served as South Florida's community orchestra until 1969.


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Arnold Volpe Music Classroom Ground Breaking, February 24, 1954
Ground Breaking participants include Mrs. Albert Pick, Robert Little (Architect), Mrs. Arnold Volpe, Dean John Bitter, and UM President Jay F.W. Pearson. Arnold Volpe and his wife Marie came to the University in the opening days. During the difficult times of the late 1920s, Arnold Volpe gathered twenty-nine players and staged the University's first concert in 1927. Maestro Arnold Volpe remained an integral part of the school until his death in 1940.


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Band of the Hour Takes Off for Guatemala City
The University of Miami Band of the Hour and the Hurricanettes visited Guatemala City from September 11-19, 1954, to join in the 133rd Independence Day Celebration of the country's freedom from Spain. The band members gave three performances in Guatemala City's Olympic Stadium before crowds of 80,000 or more.


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Bertha M. Foster, First Music School Dean
Bertha M. Foster was the owner and operator of the Miami Conservatory of Music prior to the founding of the University of Miami. Her widely respected conservatory was incorporated into the University, and Foster was named the first dean of the School of Music in 1929 (and the first dean to be appointed overall.) She was also a founding regent of the University of Miami, and was a leading member of the committee responsible for selecting the University’s official colors: orange, green and white. She also served on the Board of Trustees from 1925-41.


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Chamber Singers, 1971-1972
The University of Miami School of Music has been an integral part of the institution since its opening in 1926. Small vocal ensemble singing is just one of many outstanding programs offered by the School of Music. Pictured are the Universtiy of Miami Chamber Singers, 1971-1972, under the direction of Dr. Lee R. Kjelson.


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Hurricanette Practice Jump, 1954
Hurricanette Rhona Berube jumps high during a practice session with the University of Miami Band of the Hour.


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Men's Glee Club, Venetian Pool
The 1928-1929 Men's Glee Club poses on the cobble-stone and coral rock bridge at the beautiful Venetian Pool in Coral Gables. Originally fed by underground artesian wells, the Venetian Pool was once a quarry pit, its only value being the limestone it produced for the construction. Through the creative efforts of George Merrick's uncle, artist Denman Fink, and architect Phineas Paist, the eyesore was transformed in 1924 to what was then called the Venetian Casino. The University of Miami made extensive use of the pool in the early years, for concerts and events as well as for swimming classes.


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UM Band Portrait, 1936-1937
Walter Sheaffer and the University of Miami Band members during the 1936-37 year.

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