University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Department of Music and Theatre Arts Records, 1928-2025
Content Description
Previous individual archival series collections for the Music and Theatre Arts Departments have been combined into one collection, ranging from 1928-2025. The collection is divided into six series.
Series 1: Theatre programs, brochures, and photographs (1942-2015, 2025): Consists of programs listing titles of plays, actors, and production staff. Play programs and materials, theatre dept. brochures, scholarship applications, theatre dept. history, photograph slides (ca. 1970-2003), photographs (print and digital), posters (ca. 1982-2015, 2025) and publicity materials relating to plays and musicals performed by students at the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire. Brochures and photographs provide yearly overviews of the theater season. Digital photographs are located in the Digital Asset Preservation Storage: “AS582_Theater Dept” collection. Digital photographs include: Performance, sets, cast, and research photos for various theatre productions from the 2001-2009 theater seasons, and individual set photographs for WSU Theatre Productions, ca. 1960s-1970s, Wayne Wolfert’s sets.
Series 2: Music Program Booklets and Bösendorfer piano files (1928-2023): Contains programs, publicity pamphlets and news releases for various concerts, recitals and programs at the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire and its predecessor institutions. Programs from 1946 through 1987 are bound together in small booklets for each academic year. Additional bound booklets of Music and Theatre Arts Department programs exist for 2002-2017. Mostly music programs, with some theatre production and dance programs, for faculty and student recitals, band and choir concerts, Cabaret, Jazz Festival, Wind Symphony, orchestra, and holiday concerts. Also includes acquisition and fundraising files for the Bösendorfer piano, much of it organized by Ada Bors, ca. 1979-2012.
Series 3: Department of Music Records (1940-2012): This series contains records relating to the State Music Contest, the Percussion Symposium, the Romanian Orchestra Tour, choral program materials, departmental reviews, 1979 Octubafest poster, and UW-EC Music Ensemble CDs (2005-2012) featuring holiday concerts, BASSically BRASS, Jazz Ensemble I, UW-EC Wind and Percussion Division, The Stan Kenton Orchestra, International Jazz Quintet, and the Blugold Marching Band. The Band room construction materials, 1940-1941, 1947, include correspondence with Harvey Schofield and William R. Davies, costs, and handwritten notes and drawings from building a band room above the garage at the Eau Claire State Teacher’s College. The school received funding for the project from the Work Projects Administration (WPA).
Series 4: Department of Music Faculty Meeting Minutes (1960-1988): Faculty meeting minutes for the Department of Music. Also includes a folder of Music Department brochures, fliers, and programs, ca. 1960-1983. Dr. Milton Schimke was the Music Dept. Chairman. Some duplicate folders of minutes (one set is Dr. Schimke’s minutes, with some additional paperwork and correspondence, and one set the secretaries’ minutes).
Series 5: Department of Music Executive Committee Minutes (1969-1984): Executive Committee meeting minutes for the Department of Music. Dr. Milton Schimke was the Music Dept. Chairman. Some duplicate folders of minutes (one set is Dr. Schimke’s minutes, with some additional paperwork and correspondence, and one set the secretaries’ minutes).
Series 6: Department of Communication and Theatre Arts Records (1986-1992): Meeting minutes from the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts.
Dates
- Creation: 1928-2025
Creator
- University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Department of Music and Theatre Arts (Organization)
- University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Department of Music (Organization)
- University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Department of Communication and Theatre Arts (Organization)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to the public.
Use Restrictions
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. Copyright owned by the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
Biographical/Historical Note
Clara Mae Ward became Eau Claire State Normal School’s music teacher during the 1923-1924 school year. She initiated the school’s first orchestra and helped revitalize vocal music groups. In the 1924-1925 Periscope yearbook, Ward is pictured as director of the orchestra, and male and girls’ Glee Clubs. Mr. Slagg was faculty advisor for the band. Forrest Mortiboy and Leland Forrest were the band student directors. Ward started supervising the band in 1928. There were also boys’ and girls’ quartets. Robert Gantner was hired during the 1940s and there was much growth in the music department. Earl Kjer was hired in 1943 to direct dramatics.
While an undergraduate degree with a major in music appears to have first been granted in 1949, Music was not listed as a department in the campus directory until 1960-61. The Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music Education were first offered in the 1965-66 academic year. The University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire received accreditation from the National Association of Music in 1975. The Haas Fine Arts Building was built in 1970.
Preceded by the Department of Speech, the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts was formed in 1983. The department offered instruction and sponsored extracurricular activities in the following areas: forensics, debate, theater, telecommunications, oral interpretation, public address, and interpersonal and organizational communication. In 1995, the department disbanded. Theatre faculty joined the Music Department to form the Department of Music and Theatre Arts, while faculty in communications joined the Journalism Department to form the Department of Journalism and Communication.
As of 2022, there are a variety of certificates, majors and minors offered in Arts Administration, Dance, Music, Musical Theatre, Recording Arts, Teaching, and Theatre Arts; over twenty ensembles offered in band, chamber ensembles, choir, jazz studies, and orchestra; five annual stage productions; as well as student organizations, and internship, scholarship, and research opportunities.
For more information on the start of the Eau Claire band and choral groups, look at the 1939 Periscope yearbook, p. 100-107. For history and photos of band, choral, orchestra, opera workshop ensemble, music education, and technology through 1997, look at Alumnotes Newsletter, Summer/Fall 1997, Vol. 11, No. 1, p. 13-24 (in Box 29, Folder 10). For more history of the music and theatre programs, and excerpts “What Audiences Saw in the Little Theater,” p. 114, and “Music at Eau Claire in the 1980s and 1990s,” p. 229, look at Building Excellence: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 1916-2016, by Robert Gough and James Oberly. To look at information and photos of the Fine Arts Building built in 1970, and dedication events, look at the 1971 Periscope, p. 24-51.
Extent
23.2 Linear Feet (4 record cartons, 29 archives boxes, 2 flat boxes, 6 slide boxes)
36.4 Gigabytes (2,166 files, 47 folders)
Language of Materials
English
Summary
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Department of Music and Theatre Arts Records, ranging from 1928-2023. Clara Mae Ward became Eau Claire State Normal School’s music teacher during the 1923-1924 school year. She initiated the school’s first orchestra and helped revitalize vocal music groups. Robert Gantner was hired during the 1940s and there was much growth in the music department. The Department of Communication and Theatre Arts was formed in 1983, and was preceded by the Department of Speech. In 1995, the department disbanded. Theatre faculty joined the Music Department to form the Department of Music and Theatre Arts, while faculty in communications joined the Journalism Department to form the Department of Journalism and Communication. Collection includes theatre play and music concert programs, department brochures, department records, faculty meeting minutes, course syllabi, 1940s band room construction materials, information about acquistion of the Bösendorfer piano, theater performance photographs and slides, posters, and music CDs featuring UW-Eau Claire holiday concerts, brass and jazz groups, the Blugold Marching Band, etc. Includes digital materials.
Acquisition Information
Series 1 (previously AS582) was transferred to the University Archives by Art Gulig of the Department of Music and Theatre Arts in June 2004; additional material transferred from Arthur Grothe of the Department of Theatre Arts in 2017. Series 2 (previously AS40) was transferred to the University Archives prior to January 2011 and in 2016. Series 3 (previously AS573 and AS244) and 6 (previously AS592) were transferred to the University Archives prior to March 2006. Series 4 and 5 (previously AS564 and AS565) were transferred to the University Archives from the Department of Music in 1999.
Accession Number
07-130, 19-020; 77-73, 78-18, 79-3, 80-41, 85-120, 85-196, 87-88, 90-98, 92-129, 93-37, 06-76, 16-011; 07-006; 99-50; 99-51; 08-078; 24-029; 25-016; 25-025
Digitized Materials
UW-Eau Claire Music Ensemble CDs located in Series 3 exist in an electronic format as WAV files. Please consult Special Collections and Archives department staff for access.
Reference Code
AS582
Processing Note
Processed by Colleen McFarland in 2006, 2008, and Emma Mabie in May 2018. Accession # 17-010 processed with accession # 19-020. Reprocessed and additions added by Julie Hatfield in Summer 2022 and Spring 2025. Combined Theatre Arts and Music Department collections (AS40, AS244 AS564, AS565, AS573, AS592) into AS582.
Subject
- Bors, Ada (Person)
- Denson, Wil (Person)
- Kjer, Earl S. (Person)
- Schimke, Milton (Person)
- University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Department of Music and Theatre Arts (Organization)
- University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Department of Music (Organization)
- University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Department of Communication and Theatre Arts (Organization)
- Davies, William R. (Person)
- Schofield, Harvey A. (Person)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Julie Hatfield
- Date
- May 8, 2024
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and Archives, McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire Repository
Special Collections and Archives, McIntyre Library
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
103 Garfield Avenue
Eau Claire WI 54701 United States
715-836-2739
library.archives@uwec.edu