Ima Hogg Symphony Programs Collection

Biographical Note

Ima Hogg, daughter of Governor James Stephen Hogg, was born in Mineola, Texas, on July 10, 1882. After graduating from the University of Texas, between 1901 and 1909 she studied music in New York, Berlin, and Vienna. She then moved to Houston, where she gave piano lessons to a select group of pupils and helped found the Houston Symphony Orchestra. She served as the first vice president of the Houston Symphony Society and became president in 1917. Ima Hogg was also involved in founding the Houston Child Guidance Center and the Hogg Foundation for Mental Hygiene. She was involved in the Philosophical Society of Texas, the Texas State Historical Survey Committee, and the Academy of Texas. She received numerous awards and honors for her philanthropic and cultural contributions to the state of Texas. On August 19, 1975, at the age of 93, Ima Hogg died of complications from a traffic accident while she was vacationing in London.

Organization History

The Houston Symphony Orchestra began when Ima Hogg sponsored a concert on June 21, 1913. Originally the orchestra was an ensemble of 33 part-time musicians with a $2,500 budget. The Houston Symphony enjoyed steady artistic growth under the direction of strong conductors, including Ernst Hoffmann (1936-47), Efrem Kurtz (1948-54), Ferenc Fricsay (1954), Leopold Stokowski (1955-61), Sir John Barbirolli (1961-67), Andre Previn (1967-69), Lawrence Foster (1971-78), Sergiu Comissiona (1979-88), and Christoph Eschenbach (1988-1999). After decades in City Auditorium or the Music Hall, the HSO moved into the visually and acoustically fine Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in 1966. In the years since its beginning, the orchestra has hired long-term professional musicians, played classical, pops, holiday, children's, and free concerts, offered education programs and young artist competitions, commissioned works, made recordings, broadcast concerts, and toured the United States, Europe, and Asia. During the 1998-1999 season, the orchestra consisted of 97 full-time musicians supported by a professional staff with a $18.4 million budget.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials collected by Ima Hogg in relation to cultural events which she attended. Included in the collection are scrapbooks, programs, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, leaflets, brochures, other ephemeral materials, documents, and a printed book. Materials in the collection date from 1900 to 1978, with the bulk of materials falling between the years 1900 and 1964.

The majority of the programs in the collection are from symphony concerts attended by Miss Hogg, both in Houston and in various cities in the United States and Europe. The development of the Houston Symphony is well-represented in this collection through programs and newspaper clippings.

A significant portion of the programs and clippings are contained in seven scrapbooks which Miss Hogg created. Many of these scrapbooks include Miss Hogg's handwritten comments on the performances she attended.

The collection has been reorganized by format for improved access, with materials related to the Houston Symphony or other Houston cultural organizations coming first within each format category. The series are arranged as follows: Scrapbooks, Printed Book, Programs: Houston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Fund-raising/Subscription, Programs, and Clippings. The finding aid includes a complete container listing.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research.

Use Restrictions

Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, locating copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Ima Hogg Symphony Programs Collection, Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries.

Processed by

Monika Zarzycka and Julie Grob, 2000

Sources

Detailed Description