Browse Items (50 total)

Stuart Robson was a popular comedic actor who played Buffalo stages many times. The Academy of Music, Buffalo's "Thespian Temple" from 1868 to 1895 was a successful venue that hosted some of the biggest stars of the late 19th century theatre.

Laura Justine "Jessie" Bonstelle was an actress, theater director, and drama company manager. She managed stock companies at the Star Theater in Buffalo, and later founded her own theater in Detroit.

John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor known as "The March King."  Buffalo's Convention Hall, a former armory, was a fitting setting for a program that featured a military march composed by Sousa.

Johanna Gadski was a German soprano known for her powerful voice. She was one of many international talents whose local performance was arranged by Mai Davis Smith, the first professional impresario in Buffalo.

The New York Symphony Orchestra and famed conductor Walter Damrosch performed many times in Buffalo.  Mai Davis Smith, the first professional impresario in Buffalo, arranged for several world-class orchestras to play at local concert halls.

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.

The Guido Chorus was a male choral group of business and professional men, founded by Seth Clark in 1904 and active to 1965. The group was one of many popular singing societies in Buffalo's music history.

Buffalo actress Katharine Cornell was regarded as the "First Lady of the Theatre." Her performance in Saint Joan was heralded as "magnificent" and "matchless" by local critics.

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…

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.