July 11th – 17th: Miss New York & Opera Under the Stars

And so it was that forty-nine years ago this week, a production of the musical Carousel was staged in Highland Park (two performances) to favorable local reviews.  The production was the first in the 21st season of Opera under the Stars.  The printed program is displayed here, and the Eastman School of Music is, figuratively speaking, imprinted all over the program.  The producer, Daniel Patrylak, was an Eastman School administrator (served in that capacity 1967-75); the conductor, Donald Hunsberger (served 1964-2002) was an Eastman faculty member; and a second faculty member, John Maloy (served 1966-2005), was in the cast.  Both the sound reinforcement head and the orchestra librarian, Ros Ritchie and Donald Jones, were Eastman School personnel.  Whereas the orchestral musicians for Opera under the Stars productions were normally supplied by the Rochester Federation of Musicians, for this production the supply orchestra came from Eastman, that being the Eastman Chamber Orchestra, comprised primarily of Eastman School faculty members joined by some students. The cast numbered included seven Eastman School alumni and one enrolled student; they were Joyce Hall, ’58;  Cecile Saine, ’72;  William MacFarland, ’72;  Robert Zajkowski, ’59;  James Courtney, ’73 (and a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company since 1979);  Christina McCarthy, ’73; and William Briggs, ’58; and John Oliver, ’75 had just completed his sophomore year.  Still more Eastman students were represented in the chorus.  The complete roster of Opera under the Stars artists and chorus members to date (1953-73) was printed in the program, together with the names of dancers and of children’s chorus members.  Many of the children’s chorus members were children of Eastman School faculty members and staff members.  Look closely, and you’ll also see the names of two Fleming sisters, each of whom would later earn a master’s degree at Eastman.

For the Eastman School of Music, there were numerous positives from supporting Opera under the Stars, a series with more than 20 years of successful functioning.  By 1974 it was estimated that approximately 250,000 people had attended Opera under the Stars productions—yep, fully one quarter of a million!—since the beginning.  Further, the initiative had given many Eastman students (both singers and instrumentalists) paid, professional experience.  The initiative had also provided numerous Eastman faculty members with additional performing opportunities and income.  The Eastman School had received a great deal of publicity not only in the local media and Rochester press, but also in the national media, including in such journals as Musical America and Opera News.  For the community of Rochester, the initiative had permitted collaboration with Rochester citizens by including them as soloists, orchestral musicians, chorus members, and as participants in other functions.  On balance, Opera under the Stars represented a truly positive form of outreach: it was one more avenue by which the Eastman School had been brought closer to the citizens of Rochester.  Audience size varied from production to production, but at times numbered several thousand people, once estimated at as many as 10,000; the outdoor arrangement was informal, with listeners being free to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on the lawn.

In 1976 the Eastman School’s Robert Freeman, Director, announced that Eastman would discontinue its financial support of Opera under the Stars, but would continue to provide logistical support in the way of rehearsal space, orchestral parts, and flats.  Ultimately, sufficient support was not forthcoming from other sources, and the initiative was discontinued after the 1976 season.  Michael Walsh, music critic for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, cited several concerns in a June, 1976 article, pointing out the challenging parking situation, the traffic noise emanating from nearby South Avenue, and an inadequate amplification infra-structure, together with other, more subjective concerns.  Mr. Walsh cited a decline in the number of productions (a glance at the complete roster of productions will indicate that he had been mistaken) together with a steady fall-back on musical theater repertory instead of opera (what Mr. Walsh might not have known was that musical theater had been on the Opera under the Stars agenda back in 1953), substantial cuts made in the repertory for the sake of truncating durations of performances.^[2]   (The latter point is impossible to verify at this later date.)  Notwithstanding the financial realities and whatever other prevailing concerns by 1976, the record speaks for itself: a steady, successful run of productions since 1953 that had brought the Eastman School closer to the citizens of Rochester.  Two hundred and fifty-thousand-plus opera-goers in 24 seasons is a thumping statistic; after all, the public never turns out an opportunity to enjoy good music outdoors in summer.  From time to time a performance might be rained out, but the team always planned for this; every year’s schedule of performances included back-up “in case of rain” dates.  Overall, Opera under the Stars had been a winning formula.  Bravo and thank you, Professor Leonard Treash!

► Photos by Louis Ouzer, all taken on July 13th, 1973

[1]  “Summer opera for city — under stars in park” by Hamilton B. Allen.  Rochester Times-Union, May 11, 1953.  Preserved in Rochester Scrapbook March 30, 1953 — July 7, 1953, page 74.  Sibley Music Library.

[2]  “Opera under the Stars at a turning point.”  Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, June 27, 1976.  Preserved in Rochester Scrapbook May-July 1976, pages 103-104.  Sibley Music Library.