The harmonious history and ongoing offerings of the Downers Grove Music Club

By Valerie Hardy

For nearly a century, the Downers Grove Music Club (DGMC) has been striking a chord within the community. Founded in 1927, this nonprofit promotes music education, brings live music to the public, and supports local musicians.

Concerts

DGMC’s 2023 Holiday Concert
Photo by T. F. Ewing, DGMC

After the DGMC donated a grand piano to the Downers Grove Public Library in 2015, the two organizations partnered to host free concerts one Sunday afternoon per month (September-May) at the Library. These concerts offer a “twofold benefit: they provide lovely music to the community…and also an opportunity for musicians to perform,” explained Gloria Salazar, DGMC president
and a local piano teacher.

The music at these concerts varies. “One concert could be a vocal performance, one saxophone, one accordion,” said Olga Saad Karam, a local voice instructor, who joined the DGMC two years ago and has performed at some of its concerts.

“Sometimes it’s individual performers, sometimes ensembles, sometimes student musicians are included…” Salazar added.

While most musicians donate their time and talent for these concerts, the DGMC and Library have hired performers, especially for the season openers. Such paid performances and other DGMC expenditures are made possible by donations from “loyal supporters,” Salazar said, and from “two very generous bequests” from the Drew and Bulut families.

The DGMC also holds “house benefit concerts” as fundraisers. These are hosted at the private home of Chris Garofalo, a DGMC past president, who currently serves as vice president of business development.

Competitions

Noelle Kelly performs at the DGMC’s 2024 Piano Festival and Competition Honors Recital.
Photo by T. F. Ewing, DGMC

Since 1943, the DGMC has sponsored an annual Piano Festival and Competition. Held each March, this is an adjudicated event for piano students.

Over 100 students participate each year across five levels, and those in the “Junior” and “Senior” divisions are eligible to win $75-$700. The prize money for the “Senior” pianists is donated by the Downers Grove Rotary Club. Top-scorers from the competition are also featured in the DGMC’s annual Piano Festival Honors Recital.

Awards

Graylend Starks is presented with a Private Lesson Award from the DGMC at the District 58 spring orchestra concert.
Photo courtesy of District 58

The DGMC grants numerous scholarships each year, including up to eight Private Lesson Awards ($360 each) for elementary or middle school orchestra students to take 12 weeks of lessons with a private instructor. “The goal of this award is to get these kids excited about their progress on their instrument, so they continue to take private lessons and achieve higher goals,” Salazar said.

The Rising Stars Awards ($500 each) are given to up to six 9th-11th grade musicians based on their “breadth and depth of involvement and quality of performance,” Salazar explained. “The money is to be applied toward their music education.”

The DGMC hosts an annual Rising Stars Concert each spring, which features the prior year’s Rising Star Award recipients, Piano Festival and Competition winners, and other talented local youth musicians. 

The DGMC also presents up to two College Music Awards ($1,000 each) for graduating high school musicians. Students are not required to major in music to qualify for these scholarships. 

Club History & Notable Members

Olga Saad Karam sings at the DGMC’s October concert at the Downers Grove Public Library.
Photo by T. F. Ewing, DGMC

Salazar, whose mother was a longtime DGMC member, explained that in the Club’s earlier years, people had “to audition to be part of the Club. Now it’s open to anyone who would like to join for any reason.”

Members used to perform for each other in “salon concerts,” Saad Karam added, rather than for public audiences. Members also wrote original “mini operas back then,” Salazar said.

Thelma Milnes, mother of famed operatic baritone Sherrill Milnes, was a DGMC member. According to Salazar, “Sherrill helped out with the Club; however, he couldn’t be a member because it was a women’s-only club until about the 1960s/1970s.”

More recently, DGMC 2014 Rising Star Award-winner Gabrielle Henderson moved to Los Angeles and is employed as a composer for the Cocomelon show. Miles Teague, a DGMC College Music Award recipient in 2020, went on to become a member of the United States Army Pershing Band.

Membership

The DGMC currently has upwards of 100 members, including music teachers, music students and their families, professional and amateur performing artists, and other music lovers. Annual dues range from $10-$60, depending on membership type.

Members receive newsletters, announcements about concerts and other events, the DGMC directory, and a list of local accompanists. Instructors and performers who are members also benefit from increased visibility in the community: music students can easily connect with a fitting instructor, “people who have music on Spotify have another avenue for publicizing that, or someone looking for a wedding performer can reach out,” Salazar said.

Being a DGMC member also allows “musicians and music teachers to meet each other and work with one another,” she added.

Saad Karam highlighted another DGMC membership benefit: being able to perform new music for a “supportive audience. It is totally different sitting in a practice room and working on your technique than performing in front of an audience.”   

For additional information about DGMC concerts, membership, or donations, visit downersgrovemusicclub.org.