ST. CECILIA SOCIETY - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

The ST. CECILIA SOCIETY, probably Cleveland's first permanent orchestra, grew out of the German Singraf Society. While an exact date of establishment is uncertain, it was actively operating in the 1850s and 1860s. The society presented waltzes and polkas, and in later years it accompanied the Gesangverein in a variety of operatic and choral pieces. It offered a season of 6 concerts in 18534 and supplied the instrumental accompaniment for Cleveland's first SAENGERFESTS in 1855. The date of dissolution for the group is also uncertain, though the society probably survived to the late 1860s, at which time its membership may have been absorbed by the GERMAN CONCERT ORCHESTRA.

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