MC 65: BETTY FURGESON COLLECTION, 1938-2015
Scope and Contents
This collection contains material pertaining to violinist Betty Ferguson Stewart (1923 – 2016). The Audition sheets are from Ferguson’s audition for the 1941 Junior Musician Competition put on by the National Federation of Music Clubs. The Certificates include various certificates awarded to Ferguson including life insurance certification, certificates acknowledging performances, and her Over the Hill Club certificate. The Creative Arts Studio folder contains newspaper clippings, programs, promotional materials and contracts specific to Ferguson’s Creative Arts Program, Trio, and music school. The Musical Association Applications are applications Ferguson filled out for membership to various musical associations. The Newspaper Articles folder contains various articles Ferguson collected concerning her musical career and the many musicians she worked with, including Benjamin Britten, Alexander Thiede, Serge Koussevitzky, and Leonard Bernstein. The collection includes several professional and personal photographs of Ferguson including portraits, group photos with her musical groups, and one of her beloved cats, Cinderella. Promotional/Biographical material includes a name tag, business card, hand-written resume and promotional printed matter. There are programs of her performances at several venues with many musical groups, including performances at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and performances with the Women’s Symphony of Boston and the Nashua Chamber Orchestra. The Rivier College teaching folder contains a salary agreement and a class syllabus for the 1981 Fall Semester. Tanglewood material includes photos, newspaper clippings, programs, and promotional material Ferguson collected during her time as a student at Tanglewood.
Dates
- 1938-2015
Biographical / Historical
Violinist Betty Ferguson Stewart (1923 – 2016) began her musical career by studying and performing with the Boston Women’s Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Civic Symphony, and the Curtis Institute String Symphony. While with the Women’s Symphony, Ferguson studied under Alexander Thiede. In 1943, she was the violinist in the Curtis Hotel Trio, in Lenox, Mass. She won a scholarship to the Tanglewood Music Center in 1946 where she had the opportunity to play under Serge Koussevitzky and Leonard Bernstein. In 1946, she performed during the premier of Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes. At the close of the 1940s, Ferguson married and continued to perform at various venues, including the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Ferguson and her family, including four daughters, eventually moved to New Hampshire where she became a music teacher. Over the course of her career, Ferguson committed herself to providing musical education to children. While she was still living in Boston, she became involved with the Children’s Treasure Chest, promoting concerts with children. After moving to New Hampshire she put together Creative Arts Performances which were funded by the New Hampshire Commission of the Arts. Through the Creative Arts program, Ferguson assembled a trio and the program eventually grew into a school. For twenty years she toured the state, exposing K-12 students to music by holding workshops and performances. After the program funding was cut, Ferguson went on to teach at her music school in Amherst as well as nine other public schools in Concord. During this time, she also taught strings at Rivier College in Nashua. In her 70’s Ferguson played for the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nashua Community Chamber Orchestra, and she sang in the New Hampshire Friendship Chorus. She was a member of the Monadnock Orchestra and Chorus, and traveled with the group. While with the group she visited China, New Zealand, and Russia and she white water rafted in Maine. At the age of 88, she suffered a rotator cuff injury which ended her musical career. She retired to Leominster, MA in 2013 with her cat, Cinderella.
Extent
0.5 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: German
From the Collection: Japanese
Arrangement
The collection was originally housed in two scrapbooks which have been rehoused in folders. Folders are arranged alphabetically by title. Material in each folder is arranged chronologically. The collection is grouped by format and by topical subject. Subjects include the Creative Arts Trio/Music School, Rivier College, and Tanglewood.
Repository Details
Part of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives Repository