Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association Records

The Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association Records document over 60 years of the history of the DPWA/DPVA and its work supporting the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. The earliest records date back to the founding of the DPWA in 1951. The collection is divided into six series and nine subseries:

Series I, Administrative Files, 1953-2015, is divided into six subseries.

Subseries IA, General, 1956-2014, contains general information about the organization including the constitution, the code of regulations, Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Exemptions, and the mission statement. Also included is a history of the organization, policy manual, and other general administrative material governing the operation of the organization.

Subseries IB, Board Meeting Minutes, 1953-2015, contains the minutes and related material (reports, agendas, etc.) of the meetings of the DPWA Board of Trustees. Most years are represented, though there are no minutes for the years 1968 – 1972 and 1994 – 1995. Also included is a set of Board minutes from the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Association (DPOA) dated 1985 – 1986. During this time-period, the DPWA and DPOA collaborated on a Dayton Performing Arts Fund campaign.

Subseries IC, Executive Committee Minutes, 1953-2014, contains the minutes and related material of meetings of the DPWA Executive Committee. Gaps are present in the minutes from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, and as in the Board minutes, the 1994 – 1995 minutes are missing. Minutes from the DPOA Executive Committee from 1985 – 1986 are present in this subseries as well.

Subseries ID, Financial Statements & Accountant Reports, 1980-2010, contains the annual financial statements of the DPWA with accompanying accountant reviews.

Subseries IE, Membership Directories, 1959-2015, contains the annual membership directory booklets of the DPVA. The series spans from 1959 to 2015 with a gap from 1973-1984. The 1996-1997 Membership Directory acknowledges the name change of the DPWA to the DPVA. Each Membership Directory lists the addresses and phone numbers of that year’s members. Listed are current officers and the members of the DPVA’s various committees. The 2001-2002 Membership Directory started including members’ emails. In addition, included are a schedule of events and the winners of the DPVA’s annual scholarships. The directories steadily became longer and wider over the decades. The series includes a 1959 membership paper that predates the earliest Membership Directory booklet in a separate box.

Subseries IF, Newsletters, 1967-2010, mostly pertain to the DPVA’s quarterly newsletter, Philharmonic Footnotes. The name changed to Footnotes in 2007 and to Quarternotes in 2014. The newsletters, mailed to DPVA members, promote fundraisers, such as the Designers’ Show House & Gardens or the DPVA’s educational work.

Series II, Correspondence, 1977-2004, is divided into correspondence sent and received by the DPWA. Much of the correspondence relates to DPWA events and donations. Many years also contain a report from the Corresponding Secretary summarizing the correspondence written that year.

Series III, Fundraising Events, 1956-2015, is divided into three subseries.

Subseries IIIA, Mudpies and Silver Spoons Cookbook, 1983-1989, consists predominantly of drafts and planning documents for the 1984 DPWA cookbook, with a small amount of marketing material included as well.

Subseries IIIB, Designer’s Show House, 1970-2015, contains information on the bi-annual Designers’ Show House & Gardens events. History of the program, as well as the individual houses and previous owners, are included. Internal information, such as final executive and budget reports, along with legal agreements between the house owners and the DPVA are in the series. Show House programs, which highlighted the artists who remodeled each specific room and include a blueprint of each house, are included. This subseries also includes programs list each events’ sponsors, as well as advertisements, flyers, posters, and housing magazines promoting the event.

Subseries IIIC, General Fundraising, 1956-2014, includes all other fundraising events. A history of the association written to celebrate the orchestra’s 50th anniversary is included. Events included are the 1958 and 1959 Medley of Fashion and the 1976-1978 ticket sales campaigns. Several events, such as the Medleys of Fashion, include committee reports and meeting minutes. Posters and invitations for the fundraisers are included.

Series IV, Education & Training, 1970-2011, includes the DPVA’s sponsored educational programs Young People’s Concerts, Young People’s Concerts Previews, S.P.A.R.K. Previews, and the Symphony Guides Program originating. The bulk of the processed material is from 1974-1977 and pertains to the first two Symphony Guides Program seasons of 1975-1976 and 1976-1977. Included are Symphony Guides committee minutes and handwritten notes, both typed and handwritten schedules, along with evaluations from schools and students’ handwritten responses to the program. Earlier Non-DPVA educational programs used as a reference for the Symphony Guides Program are in the series.

Series V, Scrapbooks & News Clippings, 1960-2004, are the various awards, scrapbooks, news clippings and posters. Several of the scrapbooks are not bound -- instead they are in distinct folders labeled as scrapbooks by the donors. There were three large scrapbooks, which have been unbound for preservation reasons. The majority of the scrapbooks are news clippings from the 1960s through the 1990s. The scrapbooks also contain DPO season programs and filers. A few photographs, such as photos of a 1984 Sound Ideas event, are inside the scrapbooks.

Series VI, Audiovisual, 1944-2009, contains the collection’s photographs along with three videocassettes. Included among the photographs are photographs of previous Presidents of the organization, award ceremonies, luncheons, and annual meetings. Two major photograph collections in this series include photographs of Show Houses and events associated with these major fund raising activities, along with photographs of patron dinners in the late 1960s that included fashion shows. The photographs conclude with autographed photographs of individuals who performed in the Dayton area. The series ends with three videocassette tapes made of two Designer Showcase houses and two plaques from the Dayton VA Hospital.