Music Mondays at the Scandinavian Center – the only Newton organization that sponsors free, live daytime concerts – celebrated its 5th birthday on March 2, 2025. Founders Brenda April and Clara Chan had senior citizens in mind when they began Music Mondays in 2020. But two concerts into their premier season in March of that year, they faced near disaster when the pandemic shut down in-person performances.
Remote concerts to the rescue
Most arts organizations basically hibernated during the pandemic, especially the early months. But Brenda and Clara saw another way: Only 3 months later, they held the first remote Music Mondays concert, offering anyone with an Internet connection the ability to hear an hour of high quality, live classical music, without even needing to buy a ticket. Remote concerts continued regularly through July 2021.
Fast forward to today: The in-person home of the series is the acoustically beautiful Nordic Hall at the Scandinavian Center in West Newton. Visual arts exhibits often adorn the space, which is reminiscent of a Swedish farmhouse with its large exposed beams. Concerts are offered approximately monthly, with a break in winter and summer. There is room in the hall for about 80 attendees, and another few dozen attend via the still available Zoom option. Brenda, who runs the organization and provides marketing expertise, points out that keeping the Zoom capability, even after the pandemic, has allowed audience members who either cannot drive or who still are not comfortable mingling with others to also attend, expanding Music Mondays’ reach.
Eclectic programming
Clara handles programming for the organization. Nearly all of the performances are classical, but jazz and folk devotees will also find concerts of interest over the course of a year. (Visit www.youtube.com/ @musicmondaysnewton for some videos of concerts past.) “We like to invite outstanding musicians from Newton or nearby, and we look for a variety of combinations of instruments as we plan each year’s performances,” said Clara.
Sometimes there are unusual combinations such as at the January concert, where Trio Nordica featured a violin, a cello, and a double bass. That trio played one or two traditional classical pieces but also some contemporary works arranged by Steve Lavin, the cellist in the group. Brenda noted, “There were even a few world premieres at this particular concert, one by Steve, and the other by David Heyes, who Zoomed into the concert from the UK. That was so cool!”
How it works financially
Planning a concert series is time consuming and usually expensive, and Music Mondays is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization with limited budget. Brenda and Clara are unpaid volunteers. Asked how they attract high quality musicians if they do not charge admission, Clara explained: The musicians are paid, although the money is not the main draw for them. Grant proceeds provide a small stipend for each group. In addition, Clara knows many of the musicians personally, and they enjoy playing in a beautiful hall to an appreciative audience. And importantly, the Scandinavian Center allows Music Mondays to use Nordic Hall for free.
“We are so fortunate to perform at the Scandinavian Center,” adds Brenda. “While we don’t sell tickets, we do encourage audience members to contribute something for the musicians, and one hundred percent of these contributions are passed on to the musicians every concert.” After most concerts, the performers remain to answer questions and schmooze with attendees.
Many area musicians do not have opportunities to perform in Newton, even though they may live and work nearby, so Music Mondays is definitely a draw for some groups. Susan Hagen, the double bassist from Trio Nordica, expressed it this way: “Our recent performance as part of the Music Mondays series at the Scandinavian Living Center in Newton was a pure joy. The space is beautiful to look at with fabulous acoustics and the audience was incredibly enthusiastic and welcoming — many stayed to chat after the concert. It was so much fun that we hope to come back again soon!”
As for the audiences, many seniors do not drive at night, or cannot navigate the MBTA well enough to travel to Boston’s top performance venues like Jordan Hall or Symphony Hall. The opportunity to hear high level music during the daytime in a beautiful hall right in their neighborhood is a perfect offering for music lovers of every age. Long-time supporter Judi Burten expressed it this way: “I discovered this gem of a program prior to the pandemic and have been a regular attendee. From classical music to jazz, the variety of music and talent is amazing. I look forward to attending these concerts each month!”
Like most arts organizations, Music Mondays has found its grant income varying from year to year and shrinking. The Newton Community Council (NCC) has contributed every year since 2022, and Village Bank has been a supporter for two years. Music Mondays also received Newton Community Pride micro-grants in the summers of 2023 and 2024, which funded programming during summer breaks. However, during the last two cycles, Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) grants did not go to Music Mondays. “Our income does vary from year to year, but attendee contributions help make our finances viable. We know that our musicians command much higher fees for performing elsewhere, and we are very grateful for their willingness to perform in our series anyways,” states Brenda.
Next concert: March 10
All are invited to attend the next Music Mondays concert on March 10, 2PM-3PM – either in-person at the Scandinavian Center’s Nordic Hall (206 Waltham Street, West Newton) or on Zoom – to celebrate Music Mondays’ fifth anniversary and to thank Brenda April and Clara Chan for their devotion to providing high quality, free, live music right here in Newton. This concert will feature Jacqueline Schwab, the pianist for Ken Burns’ Civil War and other Grammy-award winning documentaries. She will present her program, I Lift My Lamp – Illuminations from Immigrant America. From the program:
Jacqueline spins musical stories out of the multicultural strands in the American quilt. As the United States engages in difficult discussions about immigration and cultural diversity, I Lift My Lamp celebrates songs and dances from American immigrants. Inspired by Jacqueline’s childhood years in vibrant, multicultural Pittsburgh and her work with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, her performance will highlight music from Western and Eastern Europe and the Caribbean and South America, as well as African American spirituals and ragtime.
For further info email musicmondaysnewton@gmail.com.
