The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed his home , and he went on a concert tour for two years . He organized the Liederkranz Society in 1873 , and later the Mozart Club and the Chicago Musical Society . He was also director to the Arion des Westen Musical Society and in 1879 he founded the Balatka Academy of Musical Art , in which his son Christian and his daughter Annie were teachers . He conducted a great Saengerfest in Chicago , with a chorus of 2,200 , a mixed chorus of 1,200 , and an orchestra of 150 . He died in Chicago at the age of 72
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Hans Balatka