By Kate Houstoun
On one evening in November 2025 – one hundred years after Theodore Presser’s passing – more than 200 people from over 150 organizations gathered in Philadelphia for the first time, forming in one place the musical community The Presser Foundation has supported for a century. Grantees, trustees, musicians, and longtime partners came together not simply to celebrate an institutional anniversary, but to honor a Philadelphian whose own experience as a musician and teacher shaped a lifelong commitment to making music accessible to all.
Presser’s early struggles to afford his own musical studies shaped a conviction that music endures when musicians and teachers are supported. That belief guided his work–from The Etude Music Magazine to the Presser Publishing Company to the Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers, laying the groundwork for what would become The Presser Foundation’s century-long commitment to supporting musicians and educators.
Convened at Temple University’s Charles Library, the event highlighted the leadership that has guided the Foundation over time. Honorary Trustees Jeff Cornelius and Vera Wilson served as co-chairs of the centennial celebration. Board President Ellen Rosen offered welcoming remarks, and Trustee Melinda Whiting Burrows served as emcee. Past and current executive directors were also in attendance, including Mariel Frank, Executive Director from 1985 to 2014, and current Executive Director Teresa Araco Rodgers.
Guests explored a special exhibit featuring artifacts from Presser’s musical life, including a desk from the Presser Home, musical instruments, original Etude magazine covers, and archival materials tracing his path from musician to publisher to philanthropist. The exhibit was made possible through the stewardship of Temple University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center and the participation of the Boyer College of Music and Dance, which contributed instruments to the display.
Under the library’s spectacular atrium, the evening’s musical performances gave that legacy contemporary form. Forrópera – GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist Chrystal E. Williams and Brazilian accordionist and composer Felipe Hostins – delightfully bridged classical opera and Brazilian folk traditions.
Later, a jazz quartet assembled specifically for the centennial took the stage: pianist Tim Brey, bassist Samuel Harris, drummer Maria Marmarou, and trumpeter Terell Stafford. A Presser trustee, internationally recognized musician, and longtime Temple music educator, Stafford brought together artists with deep Philadelphia roots to perform as a one-time ensemble, to honor Mr. Presser’s mission.
In an era when musical experiences are increasingly formulaic and algorithmic, the evening offered an antidote: music made for the moment, by people invested in its future. For a foundation centered on music, the gathering offered something both simple and overdue: the chance to come together and appreciate the gifts of our community. A century on, Presser’s legacy lives on in the talented musicians, teachers, and leaders who gathered on that singular night.