The Indianapolis Music Promoters Club was founded in 1919 as a branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians. Adelaide Thornton Riley and Ellen Thomas Merriweather, who served as the first president, established the branch after attending an organizational meeting of the national association in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the club was to pursue musical study and foster youthful talents. Many of the club members directed musical groups at local churches, schools, and businesses.

A panoramic view of a large group of people standing outside a building.
Members of the National Association of Negro Musicians, later known as the Indianapolis Music Promoters Club, 1925 Credit: Indiana Historical Society View Source

Programs were performed regularly at Caleb Mills Hall, Phyllis Wheatley Ywca, the Indiana World War Memorial, Clowes Memorial Hall, and Christian Theological Seminary. Starting in 1979 the Indianapolis Music Promoters, in conjunction with The Children’s Museum, sponsored the annual Music Stars of Tomorrow program. Open to advanced junior and senior high school music students, the program hailed individual accomplishments and exposes participants to various cultures. Other activities of the organization included conducting workshops and clinics and the identification and development of musical talent. The organization ceased to exist sometime after 1994.

Revised July 2021
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