Music has been a part of the cultural fabric of Florence since its establishment.

“Circuit or ‘tent’ Chautauqua had its beginning in the lyceum movement, which had started in Massachusetts as early as 1826, and in the assemblies held at Lake Chautauqua, New York, beginning in 1874.  The purpose of the lyceum movement was self-improvement by lectures and discussions on literary, scientific, and moral topics.  After the Civil War, commercial lecture bureaus were founded, among them the Redpath Lyceum Bureau of James C. Redpath in 1868.  Lyceums continued to exist into the twentieth century, although by 1925 they were found for the most part only in small towns, often in combination with musical programs.