A century in, Sewickley Music Club still enjoys music

One of the longest-standing clubs in Sewickley turns 100 in May and its members plan to celebrate with a meeting in the ballroom of the Sewickley Heights Golf Club.

The Sewickley Music Club was formed 100 years ago by Olive Nevin, a concert soloist from Sewickley. The soprano singer originally formed the group to bring musicians together for “performing and learning about different musical styles, composers, dance and just to meet each other,” according to a book produced by the club.

The club’s members will meet May 11 to do just that – although the overall feel of the get-together might be different than it was a century ago when its founding members gathered.

Members of the Sewickley Music Club used to have to audition in order to be accepted into the group. The monthly luncheon meetings were held in mansions and estates. The attire was formal and many wore hats and gloves. Those early meetings only featured performances of current members.

Much of that has changed.

Auditions are no longer necessary for new members. The attire is a little less formal and the meetings aren’t monthly – they are only held six times a year at different venues such as churches and other clubs. Hats and gloves are not part of the get-up, either.

“The changes were for the better,” said Esther Pavlis, who joined the club in the early 1970s. A transplant to Sewickley at the time and a vocalist, she was urged to get involved with the group by a friend who already belonged.

When asked if she to audition, Pavlis said, “Sort of, but not really.”

She characterized her audition as “low pressure and very casual.” She said she heard back from the group within a couple weeks that she was part of the club. Pavlis said auditioning had waned as a requirement before she joined but it permanently ended once she joined the group’s board. She has since served as president of the club and its archivist for a time.

“It changed to allow people with a wonderful appreciation for music to join. That became a good enough reason to be part of the club. It’s about good music,” she said.

Peggy Dury, 92, of Sewickley joined “sometime in the 1960s” as someone who was interested in music. She has loved the camaraderie among members throughout the years and the wide variety of musical presentations.

“It was all live music … At one meeting, only nine members RSVP’d, but 65 appeared for the meeting. That is when the telephone committee was formed,” Dury said, laughing.

Dury remembered one performance in particular that featured a woman from India who played sitar and sat on an upholstered stool.

“It’s always a charming afternoon of enjoying and learning new music,” she said.

The club still features performances. The May 11 gathering will feature a live musical performance by Steven Vance and John Garrick. Pittsburgh harpist Marissa Knaub Avon will also play as members file into the event.

Suzanne Fenello, a three-year member of the club, said the May 11 event will go as other meetings go.

“We’ll approve the minutes of last month’s meeting, have a luncheon and tea,” she said. Tea is one of the elements of the club that has stayed relatively unchanged. A tradition of drinking and pouring tea out of a silver tea set still remains, although the act is less formal these days.

Jeanette Kent, the club’s president, said the group’s membership holds strong at around 70 people and “a wonderful musical tradition continues in Sewickley.”

The traditions’ foundation rests upon Nevin, who founded the club when she was 38 years old. She was a successful vocalist at that point in her life, having done performances in New York City and elsewhere. One writer of the Evening News in Harrisburg wrote: “No American artist is doing more for the promotion of American-Pennsylvanian music than the celebrated soprano, Olive B. Nevin, who is also cousin to Ethelbert.”

Ethelbert Nevin is an acclaimed pianist, composer and teacher who wrote many pieces. One of the most remembered songs he wrote was “The Rosary” from his 1893 Book of Songs, which sold nearly 4 million copies.

Olive Nevin died in 1935, at age 51. She is buried at the Sewickley Cemetery.

“There have been so many great performers come perform for us,” Pavlis said. “There is a camaraderie among members. A lot of them are no longer here, but I’ve been more than blessed to make good friendships. It’s been a worthy experience for me to have belonged to this club. I’m thankful to (Olive Nevin) for starting it.”