A draft of the program for the first annual Matthay Festival, held in Tamworth, NH, in August of 1958.
On the evening of August 13, Julian DeGray was the first artist to give a recital, and although she's not yet indicated on the program,
Eunice Norton performed on August 15.
The program of the 1953 MTNA Convention held in Cincinnati's famed Sheraton-Netherlands Hotel.
Matthay-trained artist
Eunice Norton, whose profile is shown at the bottom of the page, performed the Beethoven "Les Adieux," "Moonlight," and Opus 111 Sonatas in the Hotel's
famous Hall of Mirrors, modeled on the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
The Matthay Piano Festivals are the oldest continuously running piano festivals in the United States, having operated
annually since 1958 (allowing for exceptions
in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid). They were a natural extension of our annual three-day meetings, which began in New York City in December of 1925, and
always included recitals and lectures. Beginning in the 1950s, the Association began to move away from East Coast conferences held over Christmas break, and
at times even partnered with other major musical organizations.
A notable example of this was the February 1953 MTNA convention held in Cincinnati, where the Matthay Association provided substantial program content,
and Matthay-trained artist Eunice Norton performed an all-Beethoven recital.
In 1958, in honor of the centennial of Matthay's birth, the Association made a decision to combine a summer conference with recreational pursuits in the beautiful village
of Tamworth, nestled between the White Mountains and the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, and the gathering proved so popular that summer festivals inviting Matthay-trained artists and teachers
continue to the present day. The Festival moved to the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1963, and in 1965 to the University of Maryland, where it remained until the early 70s.
Since that time, college campuses throughout the United States have played host to these events, including the University of Central Florida, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto,
San Jose State University, Williams College, the University of South Carolina, Wittenberg University, the University of Kansas, the University of Richmond, East Carolina University,
Union University, Western Carolina University, Texas Wesleyan University, the Eastman School of Music, Arizona State University, the University of Alabama, The College of St. Scholastica,
Pepperdine University, Pennsylvania State University, and Boise State University.
Stewart Gordon, then a professor at the University of Maryland and Artistic Director of the Matthay Festival, welcomes attendees to the first Matthay Festival
held on the Maryland campus in August of 1965. The Maryland Festivals proved so popular that they remained at this venue for the next seven years. The pattern is unchanged to
the present day, because the purpose of the Festivals has always been to expose dedicated teachers from all parts of the world to a faithful presentation of Matthay's teaching principles.
A panel discussing the great Matthay-trained teacher Frank Mannheimer in June of 2022 at the Festival held at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.
This was a special Festival convened to honor the memory of Frank Mannheimer, who ran summer classes in Duluth for nearly 30 years, and all the participants pictured
studied with him extensively. From left to right, the late John Perry, Aiko Onishi, former AMA President Janice Larson Razaq, former AMA Treasurer Signe Sebo Zale, and former AMA President Stephen Siek, who also served as moderator.
An Archive of Festival Programs from 2000
Currently, no Festival programs have been digitized before the year 2000, but below you can find program information and artist and lecturer biographies for all Festivals since that time.
