La Jolla Music Society carries forward a distinguished tradition reaching back to the Musical Arts Society of La Jolla founded in 1941 by Nikolai Sokoloff, former conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra.  Together with other musically-minded La Jolla residents including Ellen and Roger Revelle, Sokoloff and the Music Society commissioned twenty new works between 1949 and 1968.

In 1968, the La Jolla Chamber Players was formally incorporated by a small group of local musicians with John Garvey conducting. Joan Brown was the new group’s first Board President; other early Board members included Lois Kohn and Helen Warren Ross, both of whom are still active in the Society today.

Within three years, the group’s official name was changed to La Jolla Chamber Orchestra, which then presented a total of six concerts and recitals each year.  The Board was active in all aspects of the Orchestra’s administration, from programming and publicity to fundraising and ticketing. The Friends of the La Jolla Chamber Orchestra formed to coordinate volunteer participation in the group’s activities. With these changes, the Board decided that the group’s name should reflect their evolving vision for the organization. Although they were still producing La Jolla Chamber Orchestra concerts, the Board was also beginning to present internationally-recognized artists. In January of 1976, in a resolution adopted by the Board, the group’s name was officially changed again to La Jolla Chamber Music Society (“LJCMS”).

In 1980, the idea of presenting a summer music festival was envisioned by then-Musical Director Peter Eros.  The Board felt that the project was too large for them to tackle without outside help, and the proposal was shelved.  The following year, Sharon LeeMaster was hired as La Jolla Chamber Music Society’s first Executive Director, and with a $220,000 operating budget for the year, Board President Dr. Merrell Olesen and the Board committed to bringing the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival to La Jolla during the summer of 1982.  Presentation of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival would continue for three years.

Between 1982 and 1986, the Society’s offices moved twice (first to Hotel La Jolla – now Empress Hotel – and ultimately to the El Patio Building, where the offices currently reside), the operating budget doubled, and the La Jolla Chamber Orchestra was dissolved.  La Jolla Chamber Music Society’s staff grew as well, with Executive Director Geoffrey Brooks leading a full-time staff of four and an intern.  During these years of dramatic growth, the Music Society built its reputation for high-quality concerts on three series named for the venues in which they were presented: the Sherwood Series, the Old Globe Series, and the East County Series.

For the next several years, the Society’s growth continued, presenting sold-out concerts with long waiting lists and posting budget surpluses under Executive Director Neale Pearl.  During these years of continued growth, La Jolla Chamber Music Society presented its first House Concert, and Board members Lois Kohn and Arlene Hecht introduced the ideas of three-year commitments from donors (now the Medallion Society) and a concert to benefit SummerFest held during the Winter Season (now called WinterFest).  The Music Society continued to present world-class musicians, including Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma, and the Board began discussions about presenting more diverse programs, acquiring a permanent performance venue, funding sponsorships for young artists, and extending outreach to local schools.  The series were expanded to include the Sherwood Series, Celebrity Series (initiated in 1987), International Orchestra Series (initiated in 1988), and Young Artists of Excellence Series (initiated in 1991 and now called the Discovery Series).  A distinctive logo was created, the Endowment Fund was established, and the Society’s operating budget topped $1,000,000 for the first time.

New series were created in 1997 and 1998 – the Prodigy Series (now incorporated into the Discovery Series) and the Piano Series – and the Sherwood Series officially became known as the Revelle Series in acknowledgement of Ellen Revelle’s long association with the Society as well as her extraordinary $500,000 gift to the Society’s Endowment Fund.  In recognition for their dedication and accomplishments on behalf of La Jolla Chamber Music Society, Ellen Revelle and Lois Kohn were named “Honorary Directors” for life.

In 1999, the Music Society adopted the Community Music Center, expanding the outreach begun nearly a decade earlier, to provide music education and performance opportunities for at-risk elementary school children in Southeast San Diego, thus reaching out to a new generation in an underserved community.  Also in this year, SummerFest ’99 brought a new partnership with the University Art Gallery at UCSD and the revival of the tradition of commissioning new works for the festival.

In 2003, under Board President Peggy Preuss, La Jolla Chamber Music Society once again changed its name, to La Jolla Music Society to reflect the changing demographics of San Diego and to allow for expanded programming possibilities,.  While the foundations of the Music Society – presenting high-quality concerts and encouraging an appreciation of music throughout San Diego – had not changed, La Jolla Music Society would continue to evolve.  Also in 2003, the Society created the North County Series, based in Carlsbad, to better serve all of San Diego county.

In 2006, a Jazz series was introduced, presenting a selection of non-classical offerings to serve a completely new audience. Additionally, La Jolla Music Society celebrated the twentieth anniversary season of SummerFest, chaired by Dolly Woo, with a special commemorative program and an opening night celebration featuring Martinů’s “Sinfonetta La Jolla,” originally commissioned for the Musical Arts Society of La Jolla in 1950.  The three-week SummerFest Anniversary Season, under the direction of SummerFest Musical Director Cho-Liang Lin, included performances by SummerFest alumni from the last twenty years including former Music Directors Heiichiro Ohyama, David Finckel, and Wu Han, as well as internationally-renowned performers such as André-Michel Schub, Chee-Yun, Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Joseph Kalichstein, and Paul Neubauer.  Many of the Society’s most dedicated supporters, as well as current and former Board members, attended events, including Ellen Revelle, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Silvija and Brian Devine, and Helene Kruger.  The first Chair of SummerFest, Brenda Baker, and her husband Steve Baum, were on hand, as was the first SummerFest Board Chair, Joy Frieman.

In the 2007-08 Season, the Society will launch a three-performance Dance Series at the 700-plus seat North Park Theatre.  The inaugural Dance Series will include performances of Tango Fire by Estampas Porteñas of Argentina, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and the José Limón Dance Company celebrating the 100th birthday of founder José Limón.

La Jolla Music Society currently has a staff of 30, including fifteen part-time teachers for the Community Music Center, and an operating budget of over three million dollars.  La Jolla Music Society’s annual events are an important part of San Diego’s cultural life; they continue to reflect the careful planning and fiscal conservatism, combined with imaginative and innovative programming, which have formed the basis of La Jolla Music Society’s success.  As we look forward to our 41st year, the Society is poised to experience continued growth under President and Artistic Director Christopher Beach and Board Chair Leigh P. Ryan, J.D.