Adella Prentiss Hughes

Early life[edit]

Born in Cleveland in 1869, Adella Prentiss Hughes had deep connections that traced back to the city’s origin. Her paternal grandfather, Moses Warren (for whom the Warren and Warrensville areas are named), was part of Moses Cleaveland’s original survey team along the Cuyahoga River, and her maternal grandparents were friends of other pioneering families in the area, most notably the Severances.^[1] Hughes began taking piano lessons at a young age, establishing a life-long relationship with music. After attending Miss Fisher’s School for Girls (today known as Hathaway Brown),^[2] she enrolled at Vassar College, where some of her early experiences in leadership occurred.


While majoring in music at Vassar, Hughes was part of the glee club, founded the banjo club, and organized events for both groups.^[2] These were important steps in her career in arts management. At Vassar, Hughes also became friends with Elisabeth Rockefeller and their relationship, based on a shared love of music, would lead to more important connections down the road.^[3] Hughes graduated in 1890 with the distinction of Phi Beta Kappa and set out with her mother on a tour of Europe.^[2] Although a professor with whom Hughes was close, Lucy M. Salmon, encouraged her to pursue a Ph.D. in history,^[4] Hughes instead sought to further her musical enrichment by engaging in a type of “coming of age” journey mirroring Mozart’s Great Western Tour. She and her mother traveled to Europe’s renowned concert halls, and spent a lengthy period in Berlin.^[5] While there, Hughes continued to study piano before returning to the United States in 1891. During the ensuing decade, she worked as a professional accompanist and became a member of Cleveland’s Fortnightly Music Club.^[2]