Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
DUBUQUE ACADEMY OF MUSIC
DUBUQUE ACADEMY OF MUSIC. Iowa's first school of piano. Opened in 1880 at 9th and Main Street, the school's founders were Misses C.R. Hamblin and May C. Worthington, former students at the Leipzig conservatory. Using one Chickering grand piano, two other pianos and a two-pedal organ, the teachers stressed their objectives of teaching and cultivating musical talent. Piano, pipe organ, and music theory were taught; recitals were first held on April 24, 1880.
By 1882, the school had 172 pupils and departments of vocal music and violin were added. In 1890, A.C. Klein, a native of Dubuque, became the school's director. He moved the Academy to a larger building and hired more staff. Encouraging local interest in music, the Academy could claim some credit for establishing the Dubuque Choral Club, Dubuque Maennerchor, Germania Band, Friday Music Club, and the Schroeder Symphony Orchestra. After the death of Klein in 1939, the Academy moved to the campus of the UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE.
