The New Glasgow Music Festival premiered in 1939, but its origins date back to 1922 with the formation of the Ladies' Music Club.  The purpose of the club members was:  _ to improve themselves in their own musical education,  _ to cultivate music appreciation in schools and churches, and  _ to foster fine music in all branches of the community         through study and presentation. Monthly meetings were held in New Glasgow and were comprised of interesting and varied programs on subjects ranging from Burns to Beethoven, Oriental music to patriotic music, lunar music to sonata days.  Musical performances were presented by local students and traveling artists.  Surrounding communities contributed both in performances and through memberships. The Club sponsored special concerts.  The more ambitious productions featured tableaux, dancing, and operettas with choruses and orchestra.  They were presented at the Academy of Music, Westminster Church and Trinity Church.  On such occasions costumes, wall hangings, backdrops and footlights were added.  The Ladies' Music Club members often provided the choral accompaniment themselves performing in their own long flowing evening gowns. Another facet of the Ladies' Music Club was the Junior Club, with members ranging in age from tiny tots of five years to teenagers.  Major events by this young group were held in the New Glasgow High School and consisted of nursery rhymes in action, recitations, dancing, pageants and musicals.  Choral numbers involved as many as seventy voices. By the mid 1930's, the Ladies' Music Club had been instrumental in fostering music education in the schools throughout Pictou County.  Some school groups had even traveled to the Halifax Music Festival and returned home with trophies. On Wednesday, June 15th 1938, a meeting was held in Trinity Hall for the purpose of organizing a music festival.  It was proposed that the Ladies' Music Club be asked to sponsor a festival sometime in May of 1939.  On June 22nd 1938, the Club executive met and voted unanimously to sponsor a music festival for the northern Nova Scotia counties of Pictou, Antigonish, and Guysborough.

An advertisement to announce the fledging event appeared in the local newspaper on January 10th 1939.  The initial New Glasgow Music Festival took place in the First Presbyterian Church Hall in May.  The program featured 33 classes and attracted 104 entries.