The Fortnightly Music Club

The Fortnightly Music Club was formed in 1907 by ten local woman: Katie Bullock, Louise Bunker, Katherine Darby, Lucy Delbridge, Alice Doane, Eva Earle, Blanche Hughes, Elizabeth Kendel, Mary Shattuck, and Edith Strong. The group promoted two goals: to stimulate musical interest among the citizens of Greeley, and to develop the musical talents of its members. In its early years, the Fortnightly Music Club was successful in luring nationally and internationally known musicians to Greeley to give performances for the citizenry. And many of its members worked for and performed with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as teaching music and other performance groups.

In recent years, the Club has moved away from bringing in outside performers, but a good number of its members still work and perform with the Philharmonic and many music groups and organizations. Among its hundreds of members since 1907 are many of the best known and most beloved Greeley musicians. Two of its past members, Howard Skinner and Ruth Savig, were inducted into the Arts Legacy Hall of Fame in 2019. Other local music luminaries who have belonged to the Fortnightly Music Club, and who may be familiar to modern Greeley music lovers, are Beverly Buss, Polly Cronin, Phyllis Eaton, Virginia Himmel, Bob and Sally Johnson, Germaine Johnson, Evelyn Kulp, Sheryl McBride, Sue Pfund, Fran Townsend, Sandy Varley, and Diane Westrup and many others. The Club, now 113 years old, is still active in the Greeley musical scene, with members teaching, accompanying, directing, and performing.