Wonderful college concerts

Frank Loomis Palmer Auditorium at Connecticut College was constructed in 1939 with funds given by Virginia and Theodora Palmer, honoring their father.

It was planned for the benefit of the New London community, and, under the leadership of Bursar Allen Lambdin, the administration initiated a fabulous concert series to make use of its possibilities. Lambdin, an accomplished amateur musician, directed the effort from 1938 until his retirement in 1962.

Foremost musical groups performed there. With our present economy, it's hard to realize that the auditorium hosted The Philadelphia Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and even the Boston Symphony, bringing other treats such as Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" and outstanding artists Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern right here to little old New London for town and gown to enjoy.

When we moved to Mystic in the '40s, we hoped to get tickets to these concerts. It took awhile. They put us on the waiting list but told us that someone would have to die or move away before tickets would be available. Eventually we achieved a spot in the balcony, gradually moving down until we had choice seats downstairs on the middle horizontal aisle.

Tickets were very affordable, and those were magical evenings. We went early to get a good parking place. I remember how thrilled we were one night to see two huge buses marked "Boston Symphony" parked by the stage door.

The auditorium was inviting and beautiful with elegant rose-colored seats. You could hear the artists tuning up. College girls ushered; no male students then. Menuhin was the soloist that night, playing the Bruch Violin Concerto in G Minor.

A few people wore formal dress, not many. But just before the curtain rose at each concert, a tall gentleman wearing a long evening cape swept down the aisle to a seat near the front. Local music-lovers filled the hall.

Also in the audience was a prominent local physician who fell asleep as soon as the lights dimmed and slept through the whole performance.

The Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy conducting played an all-Tchaikovsky concert on November 15, 1949. The augmented orchestra filled the stage to bursting, and I decided that a whole evening of that Russian composer was decidedly cloying.

We heard the Robert Shaw Chorale and a Russian chorus and other top-notch groups. We realized how privileged we were to have this music brought to our doorstep. We cheerfully endured with few complaints the post-concert traffic jam accessing Mohegan Avenue, our minds full of music.

Those days are gone now. The series continues, but in different form. Thankfully the record of those wonderful concerts of the past is carefully kept by the college archivist, Nova Seals.

Programs and other memorabilia are under her care, and she happily made them available for this column. You can reach her at nova.seals@conncoll.edu if you have more questions.

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