Eugene Golden

Los Angeles retired attorney, Eugene Golden, took over the reigns of The Music Guild in 1985 when Dorothy Huttenback became ill. Since then, he expanded the number of annual concerts from five in one venue to 24 in four venues and 30 student concerts and established a fund-raising program to acquire student-sized instruments for children. In 1981, he joined with the LA Philharmonic to form the LA Philharmonic Chamber Music Society.  

In 1990, at the request of the U. S. Information Agency (USIA) in Russia, Mr. Golden flew to Moscow with 10 other representatives of U. S. arts organizations to participate in a seminar sponsored by the Russian Ministry of Culture to assist Russian arts organizations to operate more efficiently. In 1991, the USIA again requested Mr. Golden to host 10 Mexican conductors and composers at a conference of the American Symphony Orchestra League. He convinced them to and assisted them in forming their own Association of Mexican Symphony Orchestras and represented them in the formation of the International Alliance of Orchestra Associations in Winnipeg, Canada and at conferences of the Association of British Orchestras in England. In St. Louis, he renovated and developed the historic Sheldon Concert Hall into a performing arts center.  

Mr. Golden arranged for national broadcasts of The Music Guild concerts on NPR and joined with actor Philip Sterling to present classical music and commentary on KCSN. During the summer months, Mr. Golden has acted as Artistic Adviser at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater.

  The Music Guild, in its eighth decade of introducing world-renowned artists to Los Angeles audiences, has an international reputation for showcasing chamber music in Los Angeles. The Music Guild began after World War II with a handful of concerts annually at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. Today, The Music Guild is one of the largest classical music concert presenters in the West. 

Originally a musical series providing comfort for Eastern European émigrés, The Music Guild has become a major classical music supplier to Los Angeles schools as the first nonprofit chamber music organization to both produce concerts for and provide instruments to inner-city grammar schools and several Los Angeles area magnet and charter schools and schools for learning challenged and autistic students. 

The world’s most famous ensembles, including the Juilliard String Quartet, the Budapest String Quartet, the Guarneri String Quartet, the Paganini String Quartet, the Beaux Arts Trio, and the Henschel String Quartet, were given their first opportunities to perform in Los Angeles by The Music Guild.  The Music Guild presents 18 evening concerts in the fall/winter season at three locations: University Synagogue in Brentwood; Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall at Cal State Long Beach in association with the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music; and Adat Ari El Temple in North Hollywood. For people who prefer their concert experience during daylight hours, including seniors and children. The Music Guild offers SummerFest, six Sunday afternoon programs at the University Synagogue in Brentwood each summer. 

To expand its audiences, in 2015, The Music Guild presented its first concert featuring a vocalist performing operatic aria selections as part of SummerFest 15.    

" L. A.'s Musical Core"

“Along with the Philharmonic, The Music Serious music students who cannot afford to purchase an instrument to pursue their music education Guild, our longtime purveyor of first-rank ensembles, may be the closest this community gets to having a musical core. Attending a Music Guild event... one often feels in the center of things; interesting music is made there; and important musicians perform there. The loyal and dedicated Music Guild audience recognizes the distinctions.” 

Mark Swed,
Music Critic of the L.A. Times 

“Some of the best music groups in the world visit the Southland under the auspices of The Music Guild.“

Daniel Cariaga,
Music Editor of Los Angeles Times
“The Music Guild deserves a medal for presenting the finest in chamber music year after year. Their performances feature some of the world’s top ensembles, and in terms of quality, invariably produce the best music.” 

Jim Ruggirello,
Musical Notes columnist
Long Beach Gazette 

"Having seen some of its recent presentations of repertoire played at its  premier level by sparkling chamber musicians, including the Borromeo  and Avalon String Quartets, 

it seems unthinkable that 

The Music Guild is not a household name.

Tony Frankel

Stage and Cinema

"Students often go into survival mode where all they care about is make it to the following week without disappointing their teacher or failing a class. But it's funny how it works - the ones who come to The Music Guild concerts are also the ones who are on top of their game in every other way."

Moni Simeonov

Director of String Studies

Bob Cole Conservatory, CSULB