Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra records

The Women's Association of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (WAMSO) was a fundraising and volunteer service organization whose efforts supported the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. The organization was founded in 1949. WAMSO rebranded in 2012 and changed its name to Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra. The Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra continues to be a fundraising and volunteer service whose efforts support the Minnesota Orchestra.

The organization was created largely through the efforts of Rosalynd Pflaum (Mrs. Leo Pflaum), who served as Founding President from 1949-1954. In the 1940s, it was common for major metropolitan orchestras in the United States to have support from womens associations. According to Mrs. Pflaum, it took several years of behind-the-scenes lobbying to persuade the Executive Committee of the Orchestra to approve the organization. Once established, one of WAMSO’s and Mrs. Plaums’s first major fundraising projects was Encore, a cookbook featuring recipes contributed by famous musicians.

Several of their longest running programs and events first began in the very early years of the organization’s existence. The Young Artist Competition, a scholarship competition for young musicians, was first held in 1956-1957. Kinder Konzerts for kindergarten and early elementary school children began under the program name Music in the Schools in 1954-1955. Additionally, WAMSO’s first annual Symphony Ball fundraising gala was held at the Minneapolis Art Institute in 1956. All of these programs continue as programs of the Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra.

WAMSO’s original membership included mostly well-to-do women volunteers who focused on fundraising and event planning. In response to changes in their mission and membership, and in the orchestra itself, the organization has changed its name several times throughout its history. In 1968 when the orchestra changed its name to the Minnesota Orchestra, WAMSO in turn changed its name to the Women’s Association of the Minnesota Orchestra, but retained the original acronym. In 1994 the organization became the WAMSO-Minnesota Orchestra Volunteer Association and, in 2013, WAMSO rebranded and changed its name to the now current Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra.