Saying Good-Bye to Music School Founder May Gruber

Saying Goodbye to One of our Founders: May Gruber

On March 4, Manchester lost a pillar of our community and the co-founder of our Music School…May Gruber. May passed away peacefully at 100 years old – just two days shy of her 101st birthday. May and her late husband Sam, founded the Music School nearly 30 years ago in 1983. We began as a small youth string orchestra, envisioned, created and supported by Sam and May. Through their vision and tenacity, our Music School came into being and has grown to one of the most thriving and largest arts organizations in the state.

To celebrate this, in August 2010, we were thrilled to rename the Recital Hall in honor of our founders. May was instrumental in the design of the beautiful art installation outside the Recital Hall, and she was thrilled to see the growth that had sprung from the seeds she and Sam planted and sowed years ago. May and dozens of her family members were present for the dedication of the Sam and May Gruber Recital Hall.  This was truly a celebration of their legacy, and of the world of music education they founded. Faculty, students, present and former Board members made touching remarks, followed by a combined faculty and student String Quartet performance of Quartet in C Major (The Dissonant Quartet) by Mozart .

May left a legacy through the many nonprofit organizations she was involved with, her employment of thousands of people through Pandora and a life filled with adventures and innovation. We are forever grateful for May and Sam’s passion for music education, their vision for the future and their legacy which is alive and well in the beautiful music created every day by our students and faculty.