Browse Items (50 total)

One of several visits to Buffalo by famed conductor Damrosch and the New York Symphony Orchestra. The concert was arranged locally by Mai Davis Smith, the first professional impresario in Buffalo.

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish pianist and composer, politician, statesman and spokesman for Polish independence. He was a favorite of concert audiences around the world. Mai Davis Smith engaged him to play in Buffalo for her subscription concert…

The Buffalo Civic Orchestra was organized in 1932 by a group of local musicians who named John Ingram their conductor. They performed a series of "Pop" concerts of audience favorites throughout the 1930s.

Rachmaninoff was a famous Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who performed in Buffalo many times.  Bellanca, Michael, and Kraft were some of the first female impresarios in Buffalo.

Famed Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Rachmaninoff performed in Buffalo many times. Zorah Berry was a successful impresario who brought renowned musicians and singers to Buffalo during her 40 year career.

Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini was one of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and of the 20th century. Buffalo Morning Express drama critic and playwright Marian de Forest managed the Buffalo Musical Foundation and presented this…

Katharine Hepburn continued appearing on theatrical stages during her long movie career. She appeared in Buffalo a handful of times, including this Shakespearean performance.Hepburn has other local connections--her maternal grandparents lived here,…

One of Katharine Hepburn’s biggest hits was the romantic comedy, The Philadelphia Story.  The movie was based on a screenplay by Phillip Barry, who wrote the play specifically for Hepburn.  When the play opened in Buffalo in October 1940, prominent…

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, married Broadway stars, acted in more than 20 productions together. "Reunion in Vienna" at the Erlanger Theatre was one of many times they appeared in Buffalo.

Actress Katharine Cornell was regarded as the "First Lady of the Theatre." Her hometown of Buffalo was the first stop on Cornell’s 1933-34 national tour, and also marked the American stage debut of 18 year-old Orson Welles. This was the first time…