In an interview at his gracious tree lined home near the waters edge in Indian Harbour Beach, John Marschner, D.D.S., a well known local orthodontist, reminisced about the founding and the early days of the Melbourne Chamber Music Society. He revealed that Ray Weiss, who represented artists and musicians as a booking agent, had the idea of sponsoring world-acclaimed performers at appearances in the greater Melbourne area. Mr. Weiss traveled back and forth between Key West and Europe andalt provided musicians for Civic Music of South Brevard, an earlier group of music lovers.

In the fall of 1977, Mr. Weiss offered to provide the Milliere String Trio from Paris for a group of about 50 of Dr. Marschner's friends, including Gary Hoffmann, Mike Graff, Stonerwall "Stoney" Bird, and Nancy Clew. The concert was such a success, that this group joined with Dr. Marschner in a committee of five to form an organization to raise money for our first paid concert, which was a string quartet. It cost all of $500, and they performed in the spring of 1978.

Dr. Marschner served as the group's first President, a capacity which he retained for several years, and the other members of the group mentioned above were our first officers. We held our first concert in the Sun and Green community room on Wickham Road in North Melbourne. Later, as our group expanded, we used a room in the old telephone building rented from the Brevard Art Center and Museum. We then utilized facilities in the former Eau Gallie Police Station, also made available to us from BACAM. Since the acoustics there were not very good, we moved to Ascension Lutheran Church in Indian Harbour Beach, and again moved sometime later to the sanctuary of Eastminster Church in Indialantic. The current concert location is now St. Mark's United Methodist Church on Highway A1A in Indialantic.

Dr. Marschner was encouraged by his loving and supporting wife, Mary, who also enjoyed music. Together, they raised seven natural children of their own, and also adopted twenty or twenty-five foster children. It is to dedicated, enthusiastic, and loving people like the Marschners that the Melbourne Chamber Music Society owes its origins.