Public Programs
Check out all of the opportunities for entertainment, learning, and family fun at Ruthmere for the year.
Ruthmere Museum is proud to announce the 2023 Robert B. Beardsley Piano Prize Competition. This competition seeks to discover the next piano virtuoso in the music world.
RBB Piano Prize 2023 OFFICIAL RULES
Preliminary Round: Deadline August 12, 2023
Entrants for the Beardsley Competition are required to complete the Competition Registration Form and prepare a video audition, 8 to 15 minutes long, showcasing two contrasting musical styles or time periods. Video submissions via YouTube links are preferred. Up to 6 Finalists will be selected. Entry fee of $25 per competitor.
Please email YouTube video auditions to mdoddington@ruthmere.org. Questions call 574-264-0330 ext. 107.
Finals Round: Live Competition on September 9, 2023 Finalists will perform 15-20 minutes of music for the judging panel and the general public at the Ruthmere Game Room. Competition performances begin at Noon, with individual performance times yet to be determined. Tickets are available to the general public for just $5 per seat. Each finalist will receive $100. Second place receives $300, and Third place $200.
The Lute Song Trio of the Baltimore Consort will be performing on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7pm. The Baltimore Consort is a musical ensemble that performs a wide variety of early music, Renaissance music and music from later periods. They began in 1980 as a group specializing in music of the Elizabethan period, but soon expanded their repertoire to include Scottish music, broadside ballads, and Italian, French, and other European music of the 16th and 17th centuries. Their music bridges the genres of classical and folk music. Sponsor James Rieckhoff
Single concert non-members $50 per seat. Single concert Ruthmere Members $30 per seat. Spring Season Pass for all four concerts with reserved seating is $100 per seat (available ONLY to Ruthmere Members).
Note: Non-member Spring Concert ticket price includes a 10-day trial membership. Ruthmere Spring Concerts are considered private party events.
For more information, or to make reservations call Ruthmere at 574-264-0330 ext. 104. All concerts begin at 7pm and seating is limited on a first come, first seated basis. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Ruthmere and Goshen College are once again collaborating for cultural and musical enrichment for the young pianists of Elkhart County and beyond! Ruthmere has invited the students of the Summer Goshen College Piano Camp to experience the legacy of our regional community through performing their own repertoire on the incredible grand piano in the Ruthmere Game Room. Students will bring their prepared works to showcase in a special concert event, a chance for them to "step back in time" to perform their music as if the ink were still wet on the page! This event will enhance the musical and stylistic perspective of these precollege pianists by offering them a new context for their performances. Tickets are available to the general public for just $5 a person.
For more information, or to make reservations call Ruthmere at 574-264-0330. The recital will begin at 5pm and seating is limited on a first come, first seated basis. Doors open at 4:30pm.
FREE Juneteenth Celebration Documentary Screenings
(in Cooperation with AMBS)
Ruthmere will be screening What Happened at Benham West on June 19th at 10am, 2pm and 6pm in the Game Room (ADA accessible will be shown in Ruthmere's garage). NOTE, THE 6PM SHOWING ONLY WILL ALSO INCLUDE A PANEL DISCUSSION WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOLLOWING THE SCREENING OF THE FILM.
What Happened at Benham West is a documentary film that examines the history of Benham West, an African American neighborhood in Elkhart, Indiana. Benham West was forcibly segregated in the 1920s yet became a thriving community for Black families and businesses over the following decades. The community was cleared in the 1970s in the name of urban renewal—yet very little was rebuilt or renewed. What Happened at Benham West tells the neighborhood’s story through the voices of 17 African American elders who lived it. Learn more here.
Our June's End of Quarter Cocktail party will be at the Havilah Beardsley House, on Wednesday, June 21st from 5-7pm. Enjoy a sneak peek at our special exhibit, "Roaring Indiana in the Jazz Age" while you sip on a Gin Fizz!
Admission for members and their guests is $10 per person; Qualifying donors of Ruthmere Forever at $100 or more and/or Program Sponsorship at any level get (2) free admissions; and Business members get (2) two free admissions. EOQs are a great networking opportunity for Business Members!
If you have an active membership with EOQ attendance benefits (Bronze Patron and higher), then register as "Qualifying Member," and also use the appropriate registration for your additional guests.
Jeremy Kahn will be performing on Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 7pm. Jeremy was born near Chicago and has a B.M. from Boston's New England Conservatory. He lived in New York City for twelve years and now he and his family live near Chicago, in Oak Park, Illinois. Mainly a jazz pianist, having played in jazz-type venues around the world, he also plays on recordings that motivate you to consume your favorite products, and he plays in pit orchestras some theatrical performances. Jeremy has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Joni Mitchell, Phil Woods, Teramasu Hino, Charlie Haden, Aretha Franklin, Barbara Cook, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and everyone in between.
Randy Roberts, Assistant Curator at the Midwest Museum of American Art, will present a Gallery Talk on, “Decoding Robert Indiana” on Friday, July 7th, at 11 am. He will discuss the hidden meanings in some of Robert Indiana's most important paintings. Indiana was an important Pop artist of the 20th Century who developed ideas about painting using a graphic language of letter forms and numbers tied together with historic irony. Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history.
Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Ann Wroblewski.
The 2023 Ruthmere Fall Concert Season
October 12- Winner of the 2023 Beardsley Piano Prize Competition October 26 - Jessica Tong & Michael Sheppard
November 9 - Tumaini Sango
November 25- Nicholas Roth & the Euclid Quartet
Sponsorship Levels
2023 Presenting Sponsor $6,000
2023 Individual Concert Sponsor $1,000
2023 Annual Sponsor $900
Fall Season Sponsor $500
Fall Season Pass $80
NOTE: Sponsors receive both reserved seating and admission to the pre-concert Artist's Preview Reception for their attended concert. This reception is held in the Robert Beardsley Arts Reference Library at 6pm and feature champagne toast and an opportunity to meet the artist.
Season Pass holders and all Sponsors are offered free attendance at the Beardsley Prize Competition. Seating first come, first served all afternoon.
For more information, or to make reservations call Ruthmere at 574-264-0330 ext. 104. All concerts begin at 7pm and open seating is limited on a first come, first seated basis behind reserved seats. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Larry Dwyer, Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Notre Dame, will present a Gallery Talk on, “American Jazz”: A Paradigm of Racial Unity,” complete with exciting videos and music by great performers such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, and Count Basie on Tuesday, August 1st, at 11 am.
Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Randall & Brenda Johnson.
Carolyn Bonanno, Communications Coordinator, will present a Gallery Talk on, “Hudson Valley Painters” on Wednesday, September 6th, at 11 am. She will give a brief history and focus on women painters and techniques.
Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. Sponsored by John & Margaret Frechette.
Ruthmere Museum is proud to announce the Annual Robert B. Beardsley Piano Prize Finals Competition on Saturday, September 9 in the Ruthmere Game Room. Ruthmere seeks to discover the next piano virtuoso in the music world. Come listen to our finalists compete for our panel of distinguished judges. Tickets are available to the general public for just $5 a person. Doors open at 11am. The competition will begin at noon. Individual artist performance time are yet to be determined.
The finalists are: TBA.
Judging the competition will be Dr. Franklin Larey, Director and Professor at the School of Music at Illinois Wesleyan, Luke Norell, Piano Program Director at the Goshen College Community School of the Arts, and Mary Rose Norell, the Director of Goshen College Community School of the Arts.
RUTHMERE MUSEUM WILL BE CLOSED FOR NORMAL TOURS THIS ENTIRE DAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023.
The Beardsley Cup, composed of sterling silver and manufactured in 1907 in London, resides in a new custom built display case with the names of the winners of the Beardsley Competition. Please contact Ruthmere Museum at (574) 264-0330 ext. 107 if you have any questions regarding the competition.
Todd Zeiger, director of the Northern Regional Office of Indiana Landmarks, will be presenting a program about "Researching the History and Style our your Historic House", on October 5 at 6pm at the Havilah Beardsley House. Learn how to uncover the history of your historic house, previous owners, historic design style and how to read the architectural changes it has had. Registrants can send in a photo of their house to include for analysis and conversation. Admission is $5 for Ruthmere and Indiana Landmarks members and $10 for non-members.
Ruthmere Museum will have the winner of the Sixth Annual Robert B. Beardsley Piano Prize kicking off the 2023 Ruthmere Fall Concert Series.
Ticket pricing for the 2022 Fall Concert Series is as follows: Single concert non-members $50 per seat. Single concert Ruthmere Members $20 per seat. Fall Season Pass for all four concerts is $125 per seat (now available to non-members). Note: Non-member Fall Concert ticket price includes a 10-day trial membership. Ruthmere Fall Concerts are considered private party events. For more information, or to make reservations call Ruthmere at 574-264-0330 ext. 104. All concerts begin at 7pm and seating is limited on a first come, first seated basis. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Canadian violinist Jessica Tong has garnered international acclaim as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, having been described as an "outstanding talent" (Performing Arts in Canada) with "keen sensitivity and receptivity" (Bloomington Herald Times), who "allow[s] us to savour her sense of ardour and intensity, but never at the detriment of her tonal beauty" (ClassiqueInfo France). A recipient of a Canada Council Grant for Musicians and a DAAD scholar, she has been a top prizewinner at the Eckhardt-Gramatte, Toronto Symphony, Canadian Music, and Yellow Springs International Chamber Music Competitions, as well as the recipient of the David Ouchterlony Award for Outstanding Artist.
Michael Sheppard is a native of Philadelphia and resides in Baltimore, where he works at both the Peabody Conservatory and the Baltimore School for the Arts, sharing his love and understanding of music and the artistic process with future generations. He has worked closely with fellow composers John Corigliano, Christopher Theofanidis, Michael Hersch, Robert Sirota and with the late Nicholas Maw, demonstrating a deep love of new music; his eclectic tastes also led him recently to musical-direct performances of Jason Robert Brown's Broadway show “The Last Five Years”.
Ticket pricing for the 2022 Fall Concert Series is as follows: Single concert non-members $50 per seat. Single concert Ruthmere Members $20 per seat. Fall Season Pass for all four concerts is $125 per seat. Note: Non-member Fall Concert ticket price includes a 10-day trial membership. Ruthmere Fall Concerts are considered private party events. For more information, or to make reservations call Ruthmere at 574-264-0330 ext. 104. All concerts begin at 7pm and seating is limited on a first come, first seated basis. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Patrick McGuire, Curator of Education, Elkhart County Historical Museum, will present a Gallery Talk on, “The Career of E. Hill Turnock” on Friday, November 3rd, at 11 am. E. Hill Turnock left an indelible mark on our built environment. This presentation will give an overview of Turnock's career and highlight buildings he designed throughout Elkhart County.
Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Beth Hall.
Tumaini Sango has been playing piano for fifteen years. He has participated in numerous festivals and piano competitions in the West Michigan area. He is a seasoned accompanist, with experience accompanying a wide variety of instruments and choral students in MSVMA festivals. Over the years, Tumaini has had the opportunity to play numerous weddings, receptions, dinner parties, and banquets, including the Grand Valley State University President’s Ball. In 2018, Tumaini was the winner of the St. Cecilia Philharmonic Piano Concerto Competition and the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony Piano Concerto Competition. Additionally, Tumaini is active in the music ministry of his local church.
Ticket pricing for the 2022 Fall Concert Series is as follows: Single concert non-members $50 per seat. Single concert Ruthmere Members $20 per seat. Fall Season Pass for all four concerts is $125 per seat . Note: Non-member Fall Concert ticket price includes a 10-day trial membership. Ruthmere Fall Concerts are considered private party events.
Sponsored by Terry Trimmer
Rather than our usually Black Friday concert, we will be having Nicholas Roth and the Euclid Quartet playing together on Saturday, November 25 at 7pm.
Nicholas Roth began formal studies at age twelve, receiving critical acclaim for his appearances by the age of eighteen. He appeared as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony and the Indianapolis Symphony under Raymond Leppard, among many others. Roth is a featured performer and teacher throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He is a Yamaha Artist, a Beethoven Fellow of the American Pianists Association, earned prizes in the chamber music competitions of Tortona and Pietra Ligure, Italy, and received a DAAD grant to further his studies in Germany.
The Euclid Quartet enjoys one of the most highly regarded reputations of any chamber ensemble of its generation. Formed in Ohio in 1998, the Euclid Quartet takes its name from the famous Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, home to a wealth of renowned artistic and cultural institutions. Within three years, the ensemble was awarded the String Quartet Fellowship of the Aspen Music Festival, where it was invited to return for the subsequent summer’s concert season. The quartet was also invited to study with the Emerson String Quartet at the Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop.
Ticket pricing for the 2022 Fall Concert Series is as follows: Single concert non-members $50 per seat. Single concert Ruthmere Members $20 per seat. Fall Season Pass for all four concerts is $125 per seat. Note: Non-member Fall Concert ticket price includes a 10-day trial membership. Ruthmere Fall Concerts are considered private party events.
(574)-264-0330
(888)-287-7696
302 E. Beardsley Ave.
Elkhart, IN 46514