1962 Concert Program, March 16, 1962, New York Woodwind Quintet 
Saranac Lake Concert Society, 1954-1955 Season, December 3, 1954
Saranac Lake Concert Society was active from 1946 to 1964.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, January 26, 1952
THE CONCERT SOCIETY
High praise is due the Saranac Lake Concert Society for the very fine job it has done in organising and promoting on a business-like basis the matter of musical entertainment for this area.
Thursday night's entertainment in the High School Auditorium was another good sample of the affairs the Society arranged for this season. The artist, John Langstaff, a baritone of good voice, and his accompanist, Robert Drumm, rendered an excellent program.
For the most part it was devoid of the "long hair" numbers which are understood and appreciated by only the initiate and musical-erudite minority. But Thursday's concert did give a reasonable measure of consideration to those who like some of the old masters. There were three Brahms numbers, naturally in German, which were well received.
The matter of arranging a program is not an easy one. The aim, of course, should be to please the majority. We know a lot of artists who draw comic strips. For years one of their best pages has been the drawn and redrawn one about the culturally inclined wife struggling to drag her husband to white tie and tails concerts, none of which he understood and appreciated.
If Thursday's concert was a sample of what the concert society plans in the future, we are sure that the organization will have a continued and enthusiastic audience — and no wife will have to rope and tie her husband before the show.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, September 15, 1955
S.L. Concert Society Seeks New Members
The Saranac Lake Concert Society sponsors of Winter series which brings musicians of quality and note into the Adirondacks each year, have planned an entertaining quartet of attractions to celebrate its ninth consecutive year.
Ellen Loeb, society president, calls it "a very exciting series." This year's chosen artists will be announced upon the opening of the rolls to new membership the week of Sept 26.
All Adirondack music lovers will be welcome to join the Concert Society. Memberships are transferable and will admit house guests as well as the member. Among those making new memberships available outside Saranac Lake this year will be Mrs. Jack Watt and Mr. Eugene Spitzer, of Lake Placid, and Dr. James Raleigh and Mrs. Evelyn Brannon, of Tupper Lake.
Tickets for individual concerts are not sold.
"Artists of high calibre and reputation must be engaged far in advance," said membership chairman Carl Gronemeijer today.
"The success of our series demands that we sell season tickets only, and sell them before the season is under way."
Brochures have already gone out to members. In keeping with the society's aim to provide excellent musical fare during otherwise quiet weeks, concerts are scheduled this year for Saturday, Dec. 10, and three Mondays: Jan. 30, Feb. 27, and March 19.
The concerts will be given in the auditorium of the Saranac Lake High School which in past seasons has resounded to the acclaim for such distinguished musicians as baritone Todd Duncan, the Polish pianist Horszowski, and violinist Ruggiero Ricci.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, July 21, 1964
Concert Society Suspends Activities
The executive board of the Adirondack Concert Society has announced to society members, by letter, dated July 16, that the society will suspend operations for at least a year.
The decision was made, the letter said, to avoid competing with a series of concerts which has been announced for the 1964- 65 season in the Tri-Lake area.
The letter also said the society was not instrumental in planning for the announced series and that "it was felt at that time (when the series was announced) that as a responsible society we couldn't sponsor a concert series which would require an expenditure of more than six times that of our past budgets even though half of that sum ($7,000) would be provided by the New York State Council of the Arts. We ourselves, investigated the possibility of help from this Council last winter but found that their funds for the season had already been allocated.
The letter was signed by Frederick Klemperer, Phyllis K. Feinberg and Florence Glogan, co-presidents of the society.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, November 4, 1964
Dear Sir,
It is with a great deal of sadness that I write this letter. Even though I am not in Saranac Lake, it is painful to me to think of a winter there without concerts. Concert nights were something special. Even during snow storms and bitter cold weather, there was a warmth and glow about concert night and a rapport between the audience, the performer and the composer, that is rarely found in large cities.
The intimate receptions and evenings we spent with great artists such as: The Budapest Quartet, Phillipe Entremont, Vronsky and Babin, Maurice Gendron, The Julliard Quartet Ruggiero Ricci, The N. Y. Wind Quintette, the Egger Chamber Orchestra to name only a few. The Saranac Lake Concerts maintained the highest standards and therefore attracted the best artists for really a minimum fee. They always felt welcome and appreciated in Saranac Lake.
For whatever reasons, and I'm sure they were many and all quite explainable, the demise of the Concert Series is a sad fact. There are many arguments for "progress" (whatever that means) and getting one's money's worth, but the value of a high cultural level in a community cannot be overestimated. I feel the town attracted families partially because of these advantages. A society's culture is the most important thing it has. When a civilization dies or changes, as they all do, what it leaves to succeeding generations is its art and culture. The Concert Society brought the best to the people of Saranac Lake and those who could not get to the metropolitan centers were able to go just a few blocks from their homes and for very little hear the same thing, if not better, than people heard in New York, Paris, Rome, London, etc. I believe it had a profound effect on some residents including several young people.
I consider myself fortunate to have lived in Saranac Lake while there were concerts and to have had my children have the benefit of attending. For anyone, but especially for young people, to learn dedication, devotion, truth and beauty, which all our artists exhibited is to learn life's deepest meaning. I sincerely hope a way can be found to again have the best in music in Saranac Lake.
Sincerely Ellen Loeb Conakry, Guinea
