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About

For nearly 100 years, The University of Arizona has played a leadership role in
Tucson's cultural life, providing and sponsoring all manner of activities relating to the
arts.

It all began in 1891 and 1892, when believing the study of the fine arts
to be an essential ingredient of education, the University provided not only instruction
in music and art for individual credit but also training in group singing and
opportunities to perform to all students. Formal organization of a UA School of Music came
in 1926 and with it planning for public artist series began. Initially supported by public
subscription, then later supplemented by student fees, the venture was a serious financial
risk. At that time the largest gathering place in the University was the old
"Aggie" Auditorium seating fewer than 500 people - a dreary, barn-like
structure, drafty in the winter and stifling in warmer weather. Some guest artists charged
close to $1,000 an appearance. Enough tickets needed to be sold to cover the added expense
of renting the Tucson High School Auditorium. Competition emerged when the Saturday
Morning Musical Club erected the Temple of Music on South Scott Street and was also
offering a concert series.

The inevitable rivalry between the two enterprises
turned out to be a fine arts bonanza for music-conscious Tucson as each group attempted to
out-do the other in providing the finest programs. This remote desert town of about 30,000
people were treated to musical feasts rare in many communities several times its size. As
the years passed, a multiplicity of other programs developed emphasizing contemporary and
classical music, theater and dance.