History
74 YEARS AND COUNTING
In 1937 the Educational Music Club of Redding wanted to sponsor
professional artists to present concerts in Redding. After attending a
regional meeting with a Columbia Concert Corporation representative, Mrs.
R.A. Saeltzer, president of the music club, headed up the effort to
organize the Shasta County Cooperative Concert Association on January
21, 1938. Officers elected on January 22, 1938 included Mrs. Saeltzer,
president; W.H. Fink, J.R. Shannon, David Marr and Mrs. James Holt,
vice-presidents; Mrs. Ramona Charles, secretary ; E.A. Kirk, assistant
secretary; W.D. Simons, treasurer; and Miss Wilhelmina Nock, membership
chairman, assisted by Mrs. T.W. Parkin, Mrs. Tiny Carter and Mrs. G.E.
Oaks. The Board of Directors included Mrs. William Gardner, Mrs. Ralph
Bryan, Mrs. Carmen Schaumberg, Miss Hazel Cochran, Mrs. F.R. Drinkall,
Mrs. Gus Larson, T.W. Parkin, Paul Bodenhamer, Frank Wilkinson, Mrs.
George DeSoto, Jackson Pria and Mrs. Fred Godboldt of Red Bluff. The
organization, which later became the Shasta County Community Concert
Association, grew from twenty-one charter members to 330 members during
the March 1938 membership drive. With a first year $800 budget, the
association presented three concerts during the 1938-39 season.
The Columbia Concert Corporation’s membership plan provided assured
audiences for artists, while the local association was guaranteed
selections from a pool of high-quality performers and protected from
financial risk. Local membership grew steadily until it reached the 1200
person capacity of the Shasta High School Auditorium (now known as the
David R. Marr Auditorium) in the 1950-51 season which saw four concerts
on a $3,750 budget.
In 1960 “County” was dropped from the association’s name to reflect
increased membership from Trinity County. As the association developed,
its growth became limited by the seating capacity of the Shasta (later
Nova) High Auditorium. This affected both the number of area music
lovers who could share the enjoyment of the concerts and the scope of
the season programs financed from membership dues. The limitations of
the auditorium’s stage and dressing room facilities also became obvious
as larger attractions were procured. These problems were eliminated when
the Redding Civic Auditorium, with a seating capacity of 2000, opened in
September 1970. The 1970-71 budget of $11,000 provided three concerts to
the membership. The SCCA membership jumped to over 1600 in the initial
season there, and the first of eight successive sellouts was achieved in
1979-80. The excellent stage facilities permitted handling even the most
complex productions, and the comfort and convenience of visiting artists
was greatly increased by the new dressing room arrangements.
In the late 90’s Columbia Artists sold the Community Concerts
organization to Trawick Artists Company. For the 2000-2001 season
Trawick provided the artists’ roster from which SCCA selected five
concerts on a $46,250 budget. After Community Concerts, Ltd went
bankrupt in 2003, SCCA, as an independent California non-profit
organization, became affiliated with Live On Stage. The former employees
of Community Concerts Ltd. approached Matt Davenport of Matt Davenport
Productions, who had presented many memorable shows for the series,
about creating a new performing arts service organization to continue
serving the Community Concert Associations across the United States.
Live On Stage, Ltd. presented their first roster of artists for the
2004-2005 season.