The Southeast Symphony Association (SESA) Records (1967-2019) comprises of record books; photo albums; panoramas; organizational records; concert programs, flyers, and posters; magazines; and newspaper clippings concerning SESA, the SESA Conservatory, the Symphonettes Guild, and the Southeast Symphony Orchestra.

A music teacher named Mabel Massengill Gunn gathered her colleagues and founded the Southeast Symphony around 1948 in an area southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It was created as a way to provide a space primarily for Black musicians and their students so they could learn orchestral repertoire and ensemble performance as well as prepare for meaningful careers outside of the orchestra. Kenneth Hahn, a prominent member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, was one of the Southeast Symphony's chief supporters and it wouldn't be long until it became an official non-profit organization, known today as the Southeast Symphony Association (SESA), in 1958. Throughout its more than 70 years of existence, SESA has been a vital training ground for many Black musicians of all ages who have aspired to perform orchestral music.

24 boxes

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