Tacoma Music History

05/05/2026

Marietta Kennard, left, and Mrs. Marsh Davis, right, look at a page from "The American Songbag." The pair presented the program at the Altrusa Club's biennial guest tea May 5, 1955. Mrs. Kennard presentes a narration of typical folk ballads, giving their origins and tracing their development. She finished by reading from her own composition "Ballad of Old John Porter." Mrs. Davis, who accompanied herself on the piano, sang American folk songs and traditional American ballads.

The American Songbag (1927), compiled by poet Carl Sandburg, was a landmark anthology of 280+ American folk songs. It featured diverse musical traditions, including spirituals, pioneer tales, and labor songs, with simple piano accompaniments for easy public use. It was enormously popular and was in print continuously for more than seventy years.

Photograph courtesy Tacoma Public Library

04/18/2026

95 years is a lot of Tacoma music history!

2026 marks the 95th anniversary of Ted Brown Music. The Ted Brown Music Company, originally founded in Tacoma by Ted Brown in 1931, has remained family-owned for four generations. Ted was passionate about helping musicians and bringing music to everyone. This passion led to the company’s mission statement: “Believing music makes life better, the mission of is to provide quality products and exceptional service for the ongoing performance, education, and appreciation of music. Your music is our passion!”

From the Great Depression and World War II to the present day, helping musicians and fostering the musical community in Washington has been Ted Brown Music's Guiding Principle. As they now enter their 95th year, their mission remains as true as ever. From retail sales, repair, and commercial AVL installation to lessons, school services, and rentals, Ted Brown Music offers a wide variety of services for musicians in Washington.

04/16/2026

Marquis Dance at the Winthrop Hotel. Conductor Stan Miskowski leading the Washingtonians, a 7-piece orchestra. Dated April 16, 1938.

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library

03/03/2026

A Red Cross worker is pictured above flanked by eight women "soldiers" in tall hats, all with index fingers pointing upward. They were participating in the opera Mam'zelle Taps which was performed on stage at Stadium High School March 5-7, 1925, by members of the school's boys' and girls' glee clubs. It was the 13th annual musical production. Although the opera was set during wartime, it was played on a humorous note with the required happy ending.

Photograph courtesy Tacoma Public Library

02/16/2026

In May 1980, this photograph appeared in the Tacoma News Tribune alongside an article discussing the "newest addition to Tacoma's music scene," the Vocal Jazz Ensemble at University of Puget Sound School of Music. The ensemble was directed by Dr. Yvonne Cheek, at left in the image conducting the students during a rehearsal, and their first performance was coming up that week.

The article explained that the "new ensemble is part of an effort on the part of UPS to bridge the gap between popular and serious music, according to Professor Cheek. She said the expressive freedom of improvization is often lacking from the music education of classically-trained performers, while jazz musicians who learn to play by ear can profit from the discipline and increased musical vocabulary that comes from understanding classical forms."

Photograph courtesy Tacoma Public Library

02/13/2026

RIP Bob Musser. What a legacy of musical impact in Tacoma!

It is with very heavy hearts that we share the passing of our founder and friend, Robert Musser.

Bob created the Tacoma Concert Band in 1981 out of a deep love for music and for people. He believed great musicians deserved a place to play meaningful repertoire at the highest level — and that audiences deserved concerts that were engaging, moving, and memorable.

From the beginning, Bob set out to build an ensemble capable of performing anything in the wind band literature. Just as importantly, he wanted every concert to feel alive. He believed in variety, expression, and connection — programs that could challenge, entertain, and leave audiences with that unmistakable feeling of having experienced something special together.

Because of Bob, generations of musicians found a musical home here.
Because of Bob, audiences in Tacoma discovered what a concert band can truly be.
And because of Bob, this ensemble became a family.

We are heartbroken and deeply grateful for the legacy he built. His influence will be felt every time this band takes the stage and every time an audience leans in to listen.

Please keep Bob’s family and loved ones in your thoughts. We will share more in the coming days about ways we can honor and remember him together.

With love and gratitude,
Tacoma Concert Band

📸Kelly Rodriguez Photography

For those who would like to read more about Bob and the early years of Tacoma Concert Band, we’re sharing this article from his retirement season, courtesy of South Sound Magazine:

https://www.southsoundmag.com/arts-entertainment/a-final-bow/article_42c87496-2f35-572d-a9c6-5608f475ec2d.html

02/08/2026

This striking photograph of sixteen tuxedo-dressed men was taken for the Tacoma Times by the Richards photographers on February 8, 1939. The men are identified in the studio records as the Sibelian Male Chorus. The photograph mimics the high angle views made popular in the Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930s.

Photograph courtesy Tacoma Public Library

01/13/2026

In January of 1941, Tacoma Mayor Harry P. Cain warmly greeted Viola Wasterlain (center), noted Tacoma violinist, on her arrival at Union Station. Pictured left to right are Lazlo Bartel (accompanist), Mrs. Fernanda Wasterlain Ashmun (the artist's mother), Miss Wasterlain, Mayor Cain, and an unidentified man. Miss Wasterlain, in town for a Temple Theater concert, had recently performed for President and Mrs. Roosevelt at the White House and soon would be appearing with the New York Philharmonic under Otto Klemperer at Carnegie Hall. The violinist, who grew up in Tacoma, had debuted at New York's Town Hall in 1937 and had last been in Tacoma in 1939.

Photograph courtesy Tacoma Public Library

01/07/2026

In the 1940s, Tacoma's Central School had a strong emphasis on music. Instruction was given in singing, sight reading, piano and virtually all band and orchestra instruments. Joseph Lento, pictured with guitar in January of 1941, taught a class on how to play guitar, ukulele, and banjo. Every Monday morning at 8:30 his "pick string" students met in the school's basement playroom for an informal concert. Musicians usually numbered 20-25, while audiences could reach over 100.

Photograph courtesy Tacoma Public Library

01/03/2026

The Tacoma Civic Orchestra practiced under the watchful eye of conductor Raymond Vaught, a College of Puget Sound music professor, in a January, 1953, photograph. The orchestra was a newly formed 50-piece group of professional musicians, all from the local Tacoma area. Only some of the musicians were pictured here in the Salishan Community gym as they practice for their first performance to be held on January 19 at the First Baptist Church. Margaret Myles, contralto, was the guest soloist. The Tacoma Civic Orchestra's aim, according to an informational flyer, is to "bring symphonic music by professional local musicians within the wallet reach of each of us." Consequently, season tickets for the two concerts would be only $4.

Photograph courtesy Tacoma Public Library

University of Puget Sound School of Music