Concert papers become a permanent part of state history

The Nevada Historical Society in Reno received an early holiday gift from Dorotha Schneider of Carson City - one that chronicles the history of the now-defunct Capital Community Concert Association from its founding in 1957 to June 2003, the month of the Association's final concert.

Eric Moody, curator of manuscripts at the Historical Society, said the four boxes of records "is an important collection. One that helps document the cultural life of Carson City and Northern Nevada during the last four decades."

Included in the collection are rosters of members, agendas and minutes of meetings, financial records, contracts with performers, constitution, schedules, programs, newspaper clippings and promotional materials, collected by Schneider.

"Dorotha was a very active member of the group," said Judy Harris, membership chairwoman of the Concert Association for about 10 years.

"She had had collected all of this great information, and we didn't know what to do with it. So I called up Guy Rocha at the Nevada State Archives and he suggested I call the Reno Historic Society. They were so happy to get it. We were afraid it would have otherwise ended up lost or in the garbage."

"We also have a 9-foot Baldwin Concert Grand piano which we gave custody of to the Brewery Arts Center. We always kept it on stage at the community center during our concerts and will use it again in case we ever get the concerts back."

The Capital Community Concert Association produced between four and five concerts a year, said Harris.

The documents will be in good company.

Established in 1904, The Nevada Historical Society is Nevada's oldest museum and contains historic documents from Nevada luminaries like the late U.S. Senator Patrick A. McCarran and George Wingfield, and includes organizational history from the Virginia & Gold Hill Water Co., Harold's Club, Women's Christian Temperance Union, The Works Progress Administration and the Manhattan Silver Mining Co.

For historical scholars and history buffs, the 100-year-old Society contains a lode of research (more than 2,700 collections) and one-of-a-kind materials including personal papers, not available anywhere else, most dating from 1850 to the present.

Contact reporter Peter Thompson at pthompson@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.