Our History

"The Tuesday Musical Club is one of the fine institutions—created by and for ladies—that survived the suffrage movement, two World Wars, the tumult of the late 20th century and the vicissitudes of the early 21st to maintain its position as one of the city’s foremost presenters of classical music.” (San Antonio Current) 

Tuesday Musical Club (TMC) holds the distinction of being the oldest music club for women in Texas. It was founded in 1901 by Mrs. Eli Hertzberg (Anna), a graduate of the New York Conservatory of Music, who found herself far from the cultured arts of New York City in the frontier town of San Antonio. There were six charter members of TMC who came together for the purpose of performing and discussing classical music. By 1902, the membership had grown to fifteen, and a yearbook was printed. At that time, all prospective members were required to audition. Meetings were held in Mrs. Hertzberg’s home, and she served as President until her death in 1937. In 1935 the club started meeting in a house next door to the Hertzberg home on Euclid Avenue which they named the Hertzberg Hall of Music.

In 1903, a TMC choral group was formed and named the Tuesday Auxiliary Chorus. In 1904, Mrs. Hertzberg started the San Antonio Symphony Society, which was active until World War I. In 1915, her sister, Mrs. Edward Sachs, organized and directed a String Octet. A duo-piano ensemble began in 1916.

In 1923, members produced the first annual concerts called Musical Teas. Those teas have evolved into the club’s Artist Series concerts, featuring world-class artists. One of the oldest continuous musical series sponsored by women in the U.S., the Artist Series has sponsored premier artists including Leonard Rose, Josef and Rosina Lhévinne, Angelika Kirchschlager, Arcadi Volodos, Chanticleer, The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, Joshua Bell, Nathan Gunn, Stephen Hough and Lawrence Brownlee.  The Artist Series will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in the 2023-2024 season, featuring four world-class concerts.

The Junior Tuesday Musical Club was formed in 1924 to instill and nourish the promotion, study and performance of music for students in grades 1 through 12. Offered in a fun environment that also fosters friendships, this club also develops excellence in musical performance and offers an opportunity to perform at a club meeting. The club also conducts an annual competition in February.

Since 1956, a Young Artists Competition has been held in the spring for college-age students of music who reside or study in Texas. The competition is held in piano, voice and strings in rotating years; the 2024 competition will be held in piano on March 9, 2024.

Our Clubhouse

In 1949, the present clubhouse at 3755 N. St. Mary's Street was built on land leased from the city in Brackenridge Park. The members raised the money needed for construction with donations and proceeds from the sale of the former meeting house. The bronze statue on the front lawn, titled Genius of Music, was given by Senator Harry Hertzberg in memory of his mother. It was designed by Pompeo Coppini and executed by Dr. Coppini, with the help of his protege, Dr. Waldine Tauch.

In the late 1950s, member-pianist Estelle Jones contacted long-time TMC friend and beneficiary Brooks Smith in New York City. He helped choose two Steinway Grands from the Steinway Warehouse on Long Island. The matched-tone D and B model instruments graced the clubhouse stage until 1998, when they were replaced with two new matching Steinway B Grands. Mrs. Hertzberg’s personal Mason & Hamlin Parlour grand piano is still used in the clubhouse today.

The Tuesday Musical Club continues to flourish, bringing the enjoyment of quality music to its members, friends and the public. Anyone interested in music as a fine art is invited to attend the club’s Artist Series concerts, the Junior Tuesday Musical Club Competition and the Young Artists Competition, as well as the club’s semi-monthly meetings.