Friday Photo Drop: The Late Bryant Era (1942-1946)
David Chapman | May 15, 2026 | history@thso.org
Today’s blog post features a number of photos that should have found their way into prior postings, and are still worth sharing! These photos come from the Martin Photo Shop collection at ISU’s Special Collections division. Click on each photo to see the photo in the ISU catalog, where you can zoom in and examine each picture in extraordinary detail!
Terre Haute Civic and Teachers College Symphony Orchestra, with guest piano soloist, in the Indiana State Student Union Auditorium (now Tilson). Possible date is November 3, 1942. Courtesy of Indiana State University Special Collections.
When I first saw this photo, I was struck by how many more young women there were on the stage compared to the number of men. The ISU catalog suggests that the date here is June 1945, but I suspect from context clues it may actually be a bit earlier. The preponderance of women may indicate that was indeed during WWII, since war service took a toll on the orchestra’s numbers for several years. The young woman at the piano may be 12-year-old Sondra Bianca, who performed with the orchestra November 3, 1942.
March 1945 — Six of the seven charter members who were still performing in the TH(CTC)SO twenty years after the orchestra’s founding. Courtesy of Indiana State University Special Collections.
The musicians above are as follows, from left to right:
Rudolph Jeffers (1906-2000 - partially cut off), violin, public school music teacher.
William Sidenbender (1892-1956), French horn, chief engineer for Dresser Power Plant.
Hazel Beasley (1902-1983), violin, homemaker.
Will Bryant (1878-1950), conductor, music professor at Indiana State.
Charles Woerner (1873-1961), cello, auditor for local coal companies.
Willfred Fidlar (1908-2006), violin and concertmaster, public school music teacher.
March 1945 — The THCTCSO rehearses for their upcoming concert. Courtesy of Indiana State University Special Collections.
June 16, 1945 — The Terre Haute Civic and Teachers College Symphony Orchestra on stage with (left to right, in white jackets) Walter Olitzki (guest baritone soloist), Will Bryant (conductor), and Thomas Richner (guest pianist). Courtesy of Indiana State University Special Collections.
March 26, 1946 — Photo from the first half of the 20th Anniversary concert of the Terre Haute Civic and Teachers College Symphony Orchestra, featuring Percy Grainger. Courtesy of Indiana State University Special Collections.
March 26, 1946 — The 20th Anniversary concert of the Terre Haute Civic and Teachers College Symphony Orchestra, featuring Percy Grainger. NB: I have flipped this photo from how it appears in the ISU catalog — all the string players had their bows in the wrong hand in the original! I suspect the negative was printed backwards. It now matches the other photo from the concert. Courtesy of Indiana State University Special Collections.
If you look closely at the photo in the ISU catalog, the audience is clapping and conductor Will Bryant is gesturing to the choir, directing the applause to them.
