“You have seen the pictures of young Beethoven, playing his piano long after he should have been abed while his astonished family looked on in surprise. Perhaps nine-year-old Paul Katz may never equal the famous composer, but at the age of nine he has advanced so rapidly in playing the violin that by next spring there will be no teacher in Dayton who can teach him anymore.”
– The Cincinnati Post, 1917
By 1933, Dayton, Ohio was already home to many great men and women, who had achieved fame and recognition by proving the impossible possible. That same year, 25-year-old Paul Katz was poised to join their ranks in a city accustomed to nurturing start-ups. His idea, however, would not require a patent. Katz’s personal and professional mission was to form an orchestra.
In Dayton, one just had to look up to see possibilities and progress, although innovation, even in Dayton, didn’t mean instant success. The economic climate of The Great Depression made forming an orchestra a difficult enterprise. But Katz himself had already watched his Russian immigrant parents scale what may have seemed like insurmountable odds.
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A 13-year-old Paul Katz in 1921
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In 1910, Nathan and Molly Katz moved to Dayton from the bustle of New York City to raise their two sons, Maurice the elder and Paul the younger (born in 1907). They settled in what appeared to be the friendly and safe Midwest, only to have their business destroyed in The Great Flood of 1913. With hard work, they eventually re-opened The Parisian Silk Shop and enjoyed years of success. His parents’ lessons on the importance of a strong work ethic and finding “…higher ground” would serve Paul well. He himself would face many obstacles, while pursuing his dreams.
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A young Paul Katz
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Given a toy violin at age two and lessons by the age of five, the young boy became a prodigy who, by the time he was nine-years-old, was admitted to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. The Conservatory, founded in 1879, had never before admitted a student younger than high-school age. A 1919 review in the
Cincinnati Post referred to him as a “…young genius.” Katz’s musical career flourished, under the tutelage of many renowned instructors, including Emil Heerman, concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony, and Otoker Sevcik, during his studies at Ithaca Conservatory of Music. He was also a scholarship student of Eugene Ysaÿe and Leopold Auer, teacher of Heifetz and Zimbalist.
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An original program from Katz's first concert at Memorial Hall in 1919 at the age of 12. He performed a sonata from Tartini, a concerto by Kreutzer, a minuet by Mozart, and a balld by Vieuxtemps.
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As early as 1929, the Dayton Daily News carried an account of Katz approaching the Dayton Chamber of Commerce with plans for a symphony orchestra, but his idea was not endorsed by the Chamber or city officials. He left Dayton and became a first violinist with the renowned Cleveland Orchestra under Nicolai Sokoloff, having already served as one of the youngest violinists ever engaged by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
But Katz longed to return to Dayton. In the early 1930s, he once again began to inquire whether the city could support an orchestra of its own. Undaunted by pessimists, Katz discovered and called upon other eager musicians who were confident that music was just what the community needed. Music, after all, next to his Jewish heritage, was the foundation on which Katz had been raised.
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Ad for Katz's first concert, 1919
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With humble beginnings, Katz pulled together area musicians and formed an orchestra that would perform two concerts at the Dayton Art Institute in June of 1933. Meeting on Sunday mornings, much to the consternation of area ministers, the group began to practice Strauss’
Tales from the Vienna Woods, Grieg’s
Peer Gynt Suite No.1, and Beethoven’s Overture
Egmont.
Despite the sweltering heat, over 500 people paid 25 cents per ticket to attend the premiere performance of the Chamber Orchestra Society, an event that would decide the fate of the fledgling group. Virginia Sturm, arts critic for the
Dayton Daily News, called the performances “…the beginning of a cherished possession for the artistic development of the community.”
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The first of two concerts performed at the Dayton Art Institute in June of 1933.
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Following this warm reception by the community and media, Katz and his ensemble of 26 instrumentalists moved forward and scheduled a season of concerts to run from the Autumn of 1933 to the spring of 1934. Among the volunteers, who stepped in to help with many of the details of running an orchestra, was Phyllis Margolis, a talented pianist from a very musical family. She helped Katz choose music, edit scores, provide accompaniment and encouragement, and later became his wife. Over the course of 70 years, hundreds of talented musicians and hundreds more enthusiastic volunteers have ensured that one man’s dream continues to be a reality. Today, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates a rich 70-year history and embarks on a new era in a concert hall that equals its ambition and importance.
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Paul Katz, and his then-
future-wife, Phyllis
Margolis, became partners
in the newly formed
Chamber Orchestra Society.
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One can only wonder if Paul Katz could have imagined Dayton being home to a concert hall comparable to the splendid venues of Europe or large American cities – a grand home where his orchestra would perform before record-breaking crowds well into the 21st century. The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra is proud to call Dayton and the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center home, and honors the man who dared to believe in possibilities.
