Hughes, Adella Prentiss, 1869-1950

Hughes was involved in the founding of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra and served as its first general manager.

From the description of Correspondence to Alma Mahler, 1948. (University of Pennsylvania Library). WorldCat record id: 155863513

Founder of the Musical Arts Association and co-organizer and manager of the Cleveland Orchestra.

From the description of Autograph album, 1911-1940. (Rhinelander District Library). WorldCat record id: 17341829

Adella Prentiss Hughes was born on November 29, 1869 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Loren and Ellen Rouse Prentiss. She attended Rockwell, the city's first public school, near Public Square. He graduated from Vassar College in 1890 as a Phi Beta Kappa. Following graduation, she went to Berlin, Germany, to study piano. The returned to Cleveland to work as an accompanist, but soon pursued a career in professional concert management. She arranged a production entitled "In a Persian Garden" which sh took on tour with Cleveland musicians. This production brought much publicity for Adella Prentiss Hughes, and in 1898 she presented her first Cleveland concert as an impresario.

In 1901, Adella Prentiss Hughes served as chairman of public concerts for the First Biennial Festival of the National Federation of Music Clubs in Cleveland. From this work, the prepared the way for the establishment of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Adella Prentiss Hughes married Felix Hughes, a singer and music instructor, in 1904. They divorced in 1923. Felix Hughes was the brother of author Rupert Hughes and uncle to film producer Howard Hughes.

Adella Prentiss Hughes participated in the beginnings of the Cleveland Music School Settlement in 1912. In 1915, she took the leadership role in establishing the Musical Arts Association which brought visiting artists, choruses, and operas to Cleveland. This group then began to formally organize the Cleveland Orchestra. Continuing her work as an impresario, she presented Wagner's opera Siegfried at Cleveland's League Park. An audience of 1,500 people saw Ernestine Schumann-Heink in this performance.

In December 1918, the first performance of the new Cleveland Orchestra was presented at Grays' Armory, directed by Nikolai Sokoloff. On February 5, 1931, the orchestra moved to its permanent home in Severance Hall located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland. In 1933, the Fortnightly Musical Club in Cleveland established a scholarship in honor of Adella Prentiss Hughes to recognize her management of the club's evening concerts.

Adella Prentiss Hughes retired from the board of the Musical Arts Association and the Cleveland Orchestra. Having served as manager of the orchestra for fifteen years, she continued as honorary vice president. In 1947 she published her autobiography, Music is My Life.

Adella Prentiss Hughes died in Cleveland on August 23, 1950. She had arranged for many musical "greats" the world over to perform in Cleveland. She was able to recruit such eminent residents of Cleveland as David Z. Norton, John L. Severance, and Dudley Blossom to take a financial interest in her work. She gave elaborate dinners and costume balls in her home. Apart from being known as the "Mother of the Cleveland Orchestra," she was an honorary member in the Ohio Federation of Clubs; member of the Fortnightly Musical Club, the Zonta Club, the New York organization known as the 'daughters of Ohio," the Vassar Alumnae Association, the Mid-Day Club, the College Club of Cleveland, and the Women's City Club. She was active in the Polish Relief Benefit and was decorated by the Polish government.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Adella Prentiss Hughes

From the guide to the Adella Prentiss Hughes Autograph Album, 1911-1940, (Western Reserve Historical Society)