Hruby Conservatory of Music
From Czech Family Orchestra to Slavic Village Institution
The Hruby Conservatory of Music, located in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood, was founded by Frank J. Hruby in 1917. The Hrubys had immigrated to Cleveland from Prague in 1883, when Frank was just six months old, for his father to find more opportunities in his musical career. Growing up in an incredibly musically talented household, Frank and his five brothers formed the Hruby Brothers Orchestra (renamed the Hruby Family Orchestra as Frank’s two sisters and father joined) in 1907. They performed at venues around Cleveland and even traveled across multiple northern U.S. states for their concerts. The success of the orchestra made the Hruby family name famous in the Cleveland music scene, and enabled each member of the family to find stable work in either musical performance or education.
For over 50 years, the institution acted as an artistic and cultural centerpiece for Cleveland’s Czech-American population, as students enjoyed opportunities for high-quality instruction on various instruments, singing, and live performances. The conservatory’s prominence in the community benefited from its proximity to another major Czech-American cultural center, the Bohemian National Hall, where students could join dramatics groups and participate in public showcases. Another major factor that considerably boosted the conservatory’s stature as a significant cultural center in the public eye was that several members of Hruby’s immediate family performed with the Cleveland Orchestra at various points throughout from 1918 onward. The family’s locally renowned musical talent and the conservatory’s established reputation as an institution of artistic excellence allowed Hruby Conservatory to attract students not only from the nearby Czech-American neighborhoods, but from nearly every part of Cleveland.
The conservatory operated until Frank Hruby’s retirement in 1968. The building remained unused for nearly a decade when private owners purchased it in 1976. In 1980, the old conservatory building was reopened as a school of music, becoming the Broadway Branch of the Cleveland Music School Settlement. In 1983, the structure began operating as the Broadway School of Music and the Arts, the name it retains to this day.
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