“Music Federation” from the “1933 Franciscan” yearbook (page 80)

Photographic spread of the Music Federation, which was organized in 1931 to replace the Sigma Mu music student organization. In cooperation with the music faculty, the Federation organized all programs for college activities requiring musical talent, including assemblies, rallies, club meetings, teas, dinners, and broadcasts. That year, Music professor Eileen McCall organized the Madrigal Singers, the first group on the West Coast devoted to studying the English madrigal and Tudor vocal music. They alternated with the College Carolers for weekly broadcasts on the Western NBC radio network. The Madrigal Singers were so widely respected that they traveled to Stanford University to perform and teach Stanford students about early music. The faculty involved with the Music Federation included Dr. William Knuth, Roy Freeberg, Mary MaCauley, John Gianacos, and William Zech. In 1931, William Zech (1869-1950), a local violinist, joined the Music Department at San Francisco State. Zech formed the Zech Orchestra prior to the 1906 earthquake and fire, and the group evolved over a thirty-year period gaining a reputation for fostering professional musicians in the area. In 1935, the Zech Orchestra consolidated with the San Francisco State College Philharmonic Orchestra under his direction. Federation officers included Edward White and Chester Beck (presidents), Alice Madden and John Murphy (vice presidents), and Lavadna Hill and Mildred Roof (secretaries).