To understand The Presser Foundation now, it’s important to understand the Foundation’s history, including the life and mindset of its founder, Theodore Presser.
It all starts in 1848, with an individual born in Pittsburgh whose passion for music would grow throughout his life and become his life’s work. Following the death of both of his parents by the age of 14, Theodore Presser worked in an iron foundry making cannonballs for the army during the Civil War. He rose from that position to owning a thriving music periodical and publishing company.
Throughout his journey, Mr. Presser was determined to make music his life’s work. He began as a music clerk at an opera company in Pittsburgh, studied piano in his teens, and then entered school to study music. What followed were faculty appointments and studies of music in both the U.S. and Europe. Then, he made the courageous decision to begin writing, editing, and publishing the Etude magazine, in which music teachers and musicians across the U.S. found inspiration and information about the finer points of their profession. The magazine took off, Mr. Presser began publishing sheet music at the request of readers of the magazine, and a publishing company was born. Mr. Presser soon became quite wealthy.
He remembered his humble roots, though, and strove to give back. One source of that was through the “Home for Retired Music Teachers” in Philadelphia. (Fun fact: The Presser Foundation continues to assist retired music teachers with financial need).
Another was through the establishment of The Presser Foundation. In 1916, at the very beginning stages of the creation of the formal private foundation vehicle, Mr. Presser began to take steps to perpetuate his giving through his will and various deeds of trust to create The Presser Foundation. After his death in 1925, the Foundation was formally created in 1939, and has been giving ever since.
Organizations can evolve throughout the years. While the Foundation has been in existence for more than 80 years, it has changed through the years to better serve its partners and the community. It’s continuing to find ways to adapt and innovate with current circumstances. Mr. Presser saw the need for a magazine to educate and share, and the Foundation sees the need to serve music organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area and music students across the country. The Foundation honors its history and Mr. Presser by keeping its focus on music, music organizations, music teachers, music students, and people who love music. However, it’s also found new ways to better serve those groups, the arts and culture community, and the city of Philadelphia at large by increasing its emphasis on providing general operating support to music organizations, growing communications to be more transparent and share partner efforts, and convening music organizations together to share ideas about relevant topics through its Next Movement events.
It’s an important lesson – understand one’s history and why things are the way they are, but also find ways to address current need. We continue to do that at The Presser Foundation – honor the founder and his intentions while also implementing new measures to do our work better and most importantly, serve the Foundation’s partners in the best ways that we can.
