The Charleston Symphony Orchestra League, Inc. (CSOL) is a committed group of volunteers who advocate for music education in the Lowcountry.
The CSOL is a multi-talented group of more than 350 dedicated volunteers whose purpose is to support the Charleston Symphony (CSO), encourage talented young musicians and inspire classical music lovers for generations to come. The CSOL has consistently been the largest institutional donor to the CSO, having donated nearly $5.5 million since 2000. The CSOL also provides scholarships for music students and CSO musicians, totaling more than $42,000 this last year. The CSOL has actively advocated for music education and funding for the arts in the Lowcountry for over half a century.
The following is an excerpt from Notable Beginnings written by H. Greene for Charleston Magazine in 2012. It describes the history of orchestral music in Charleston, and how the orchestra and the CSOL has evolved over the centuries.
To know the history of our League, it helps to know a little history of orchestral music in Charleston. Charleston’s musical history goes back to times prior to the American Revolution, and the city had a 30- member orchestra as early as 1819. However, the Civil War silenced the music, and it wasn’t until 1919 that orchestral music returned to Charleston. Four dedicated women, Maude Winthrop Gibbon, Martha Laurens Patterson, Marie Baker, and Mary V. McBee formed the Charleston Musical Society. In 1925, a second voluntary orchestral organization was founded by Theodore Wichmann, who also served as music director of the public schools and recruited his graduates.
Both groups ultimately floundered due to the Great Depression and then the start of World War II (Wichmann’s volunteer musicians were called to active service). But they planted the seeds of our current Charleston Symphony. And in 1936, Maude Gibbon and Martha Patterson once again brought orchestral music to Charleston with the founding of a string symphony. That became a full orchestra by 1942 and gave its first concert on December 7th, 1942. The all-volunteer orchestra performed initially in the Dock St. Theatre, then Memminger Auditorium, and finally the Gaillard Auditorium. The 1960s saw the transformation to an orchestra of fully professional musicians who were conservatory-trained and paid for their services. The orchestra that began in 1919 in the dreams of a small group of visionary women and local talented volunteers had achieved full professional status.
From the beginning not all the volunteers were musicians in the orchestra. At least as far back as the early Dock Street Theatre concerts in the 1940s, there were volunteers behind the scenes. Usually wives, sisters, girlfriends, and mothers of the musicians, a strong group of ladies prepared post-concert receptions. They baked the dishes, arranged the flowers, and coaxed local retailers to provide liquor. They served as the indispensable hostesses of each concert.
Particularly successful at coaxing support from local retailers, they expanded their efforts to raise funds for the Symphony. As told by Anna Demos Latto, a veteran of those early days, the ladies would drop in on the specialty dress and shoe shops along King Street, seeking support. If they were met with resistance, they would very politely but primly remind the shop owner of the purchasing power they possessed. And according to Anna, it worked like magic. In 1964, as the Symphony transitioned to the fully professional and funding became even more important, this small group of women became a more official “Women’s Association” of the Symphony. The volunteers were ensuring that the music played on!
Changing our name, expanding our membership, heightening our impact. In 1983 the name was changed to the Charleston Symphony Orchestra league (CSOL®). This marked much more than a name change, however. The Women’s Association leaders had recognized that there were so many more volunteer supporters of the Symphony who would love to be involved, who had the energy and the talent to expand the voluntary services in many directions.
Since that time, the CSOL has grown to become a diverse membership of men and women, from all of the different neighborhoods that make up Greater Charleston. This expanded membership brings “newcomers” to Charleston together with “old timers” in pursuit of a cause that they cherish, making symphonic music accessible to all and educating talented youth through music scholarships. Over the years, League members have shared their talents and expertise by contributing thousands of hours in planning and producing a wide variety of special projects. They include our annual “Gala”, festive “Revels” parties, car sponsorships, plus house tours, including the League’s annual “Island Tour of Homes”, Swing Fore the Symphony golf tournament, and the promotion of our acclaimed cookbook, Music, Menus and Magnolias.