Concert programs -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.
Mai Davis Smith was the first professional impresario in Buffalo. She presented American opera singer Geraldine Farrar and famed pianist Olga Samaroff on local stages several times.
Convention Hall (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo Theater and Music Program Collection
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Publisher of digital)
Farrar, Geraldine, 1882-1967
Samaroff Stokowski, Olga, 1882-1948
Rosenstein, Arthur
Smith, Mai Davis
Ellis, C. A.
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Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)
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.
New York Symphony Orchestra
Damrosch, Walter, 1862-1950
Haensel & Jones
The Philharmonic Society of New York, Arturo Toscanini
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 concert.
Elmwood Music Hall (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Philharmonic Society of New York
Toscanini, Arturo, 1867-1957
Judson, Arthur, 1881-1975
Ervin, Edward
Buffalo Musical Foundation
De Forest, Marian, 1864-1935
Gilman, Lawrence, 1878-1939
Mid-Twentieth Century (1925-1975)
Theater programs -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.
Buffalo drama critic Marian de Forest wrote the first stage play of the novel Little Women. She and Jessie Bonstelle, an actress and theatre manager, received permission from Louisa May Alcott's family to write and stage the story. This production opened to rave reviews and became the hit of the 1912 Broadway season. The Teck Theatre, also known as the Schubert-Teck, was located at 760 Main Street from 1900 to 1934.
Teck Theater (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888
Hammond, Lynn
Berkeley, Gertrude
Brady, Alice, 1892-1939
Pavey, Marie
Hulette, Gladys
Brady, William A., 1863-1950
Bonstelle, Jessie
Harrison, Bertram
Harold Bauer and Ossip Gabrilowitsch were famous pianists who played solo in Buffalo several times. Gabrilowitsch has another Buffalo connection--he married Mark Twain's daughter Clara Clemens, a singer. He also became good friends with Mai Davis Smith, the first professional impresario in Buffalo.
Bauer, Harold, 1873-1951
Gabrilowitsch, Ossip, 1878-1936
French actress Sarah Bernhardt, “The World’s Greatest Artiste” performed the Death of Cleopatra and other tragic scenes. The original owner of this program was very moved by Bernhardt's performance and noted “She’s wonderful—But she tears one to pieces. I wasn’t fit to be seen for a week after.”
Star Theatre (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Bernhardt, Sarah, 1844-1923
Connor, W.F.
Bernhardt, Maurice
Cain, Henri, 1859-1937
Russian-American violinist Jascha Heifetz is known as one of the greatest violinists of all time. Mai Davis Smith, the first professional impresario in Buffalo, engaged him to play here when he was still a teenager.
Heifetz, Jascha, 1901-1987
Wolfsohn Musical Bureau
Benoist, André, 1879-1953
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.
Rachmaninoff, Sergei, 1873-1943
Bellanca, Bessie
Michael, Louise
Kraft, Genevieve
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.
Gogorza, Emilio de, 1872-1949
Engles, George
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 series.
Paderewski, Ignace Jan, 1860-1941
The Buffalo Symphony Orchestra of the 1920s (not to be confused with other early Buffalo orchestras with similar names) was led by Arnold Cornelissen. A young Harold Arlen, who grew up in Buffalo, took piano lessons from Maestro Cornelissen. Louise Michael and Genevieve Kraft were successful impresarios in Buffalo.
Buffalo Symphony Orchestra (est. 1921)
Cornelissen, Arnold
Schilsky, Charles
Ball, Joseph A.
John McCormack was a celebrated Irish tenor. This concert was presented by the Buffalo Musical Foundation, an organization established by Mai Davis Smith and continued by her partner, Marian De Forest.
McCormack, John, 1884-1945
Schneider, Edwin
Kennedy, Lauri, 1896-1985
Wagner, Charles L. (Charles Ludwig)
McSweeney, D. F.
Carmen: An operatic fantasie in three acts
American opera singer Geraldine Farrar starred in Carmen on stage, and later in the silent movie version. This production was presented by Louise Michael and Genevieve Kraft, successful Buffalo impresarios.
Riegger, Neira
Noe, Emma
Pasinati, Luigi
Molitor, Edward
Peroni, Carlo (Conductor)
Gonvierre, Claude
Philharmonic Society of New York, Gustav Mahler
Austrian composer Gustav Mahler was one of the leading conductors of his generation, and this concert by the Philharmonic Society of New York was enthusiastically received by the Buffalo audience. The performance was presented by Mai Davis Smith, the first professional impresario in Buffalo.
Charlton, Loudon, 1869-1931
Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911
The Statler Hotel Ballroom hosted many musical performers, including French composer and conductor Maurice Ravel. Buffalo Morning Express drama critic and playwright Marian de Forest managed the Buffalo Musical Foundation and presented this concert.
Statler Hotel (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Ravel, Maurice, 1875-1937
Torpadie, Greta
Bogue-Laberge Concert Management, Inc
Buffalo actress Katharine Cornell was regarded as the "First Lady of the Theatre." Her husband, Guthrie McClintic, directed this production. The Teck Theatre, also known as the Schubert-Teck, was located at 760 Main Street from 1900 to 1934.
Barnes, Margaret Ayer, 1886-1967
Sheldon, Edward, 1886-1946
Cornell, Katharine, 1893-1974
Lister, Francis, 1899-1951
Harvey, Paul, 1882-1955
Bonanova, Fortunio, 1895-1969
Fallows, Ruth
Miller, Gilbert
McClintic, Guthrie, 1893-1961
Lily Pons was a French-American operatic soprano and actress. As an opera singer she was particularly associated with the title roles in Lakmé and Lucia di Lammermoor, and frequently performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Consistory Auditorium (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Pons, Lily, 1898-1976
Alberghini, Luigi
Bamboschek, Giuseppe
Buffalo Broadcasting Corporation
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.
Erlanger Theatre (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Sherwood, Robert E. (Robert Emmet), 1896-1955
Lunt, Alfred
Fontanne, Lynn
Gildea, Mary
Wood, Stanley
Watson, Minor, 1889-1965
Theatre Guild
Miner, Worthington, 1900-1982
Actress Rosalind Russell performed as a member of Buffalo's "Teck Players" theater ensemble prior to her movie career. The Teck Theatre, also known as the Schubert-Teck, was located at 760 Main Street from 1900 to 1934.
Scott, Allan, 1906-1995
Russell, Rosalind
Haight, George
Buckler, Hugh
Clarke, John
West, Iris
Temple, Elaine
Liddle, James Whiting
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.
Buffalo Civic Orchestra
Ingram, John