Concert programs -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.
The Music Hall on Main Street opened on October 18, 1887, and was the and later was completely remodeled into the Teck Theater in 1900.
Music Hall (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo Theater and Music Program Collection
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Publisher of digital)
German Young Men’s Association (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo Orchestra (est. 1887)
Lund, John, 1859-1925
Buffalo Orpheus
Cornwell, William C.
Deutscher Saengerbund
Centura, Joseph
Buffalo Liedertafel
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Late Nineteenth Century (1850-1900)
Theater programs -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.
Lillie Langtry, nicknamed "The Jersey Lily," was a British-American socialite, actress and producer. The author of this play, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, was a British politician and writer. He coined the phrases "the great unwashed," "pursuit of the almighty dollar," and "the pen is mightier than the sword." The opening line of his novel Paul Clifford (1830) is that now classic phrase, "It was a dark and stormy night".
Buffalo Academy of Music
Burns, T. H.
Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron, 1803-1873
Langtry, Lillie, 1853-1929
Coghlan, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1848-1899
Everill, Frederick, A.
Calvert, C.
Carne, Joseph
This is the earliest dated program in our collection. The location of the performance is unknown, but was likely an early Buffalo playhouse. Amelia Holman Gilfert (Mrs. Gilfert) was considered the first star of the American theater.
[Buffalo Theatre]
Gilfert, Amelia Holman
Early Nineteenth Century (1800-1850)
Edwin Booth was one of the biggest stars of 19th-century American stage. During his career, he was known for his Shakespearian roles, especially his portrayal of Hamlet. Born into a famous acting family, the Booth name today is more likely associated with his brother, John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893
Rainford, Milton
Cummins, Ellen
Carroll, Jennie
Pierce, F. R.
Rogers, Benjamin G., 1819 or 1820-1895
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.
Howard, Bronson, 1842-1908
Robson, Stuart, 1836-1903
Woodward, George S.
Elwood, W. H.
McKean, Gabriella
May, Olive
Hayden, W. R.
Sol Smith Russell was a leading actor known for his comic roles. His performance in A Poor Relation was one of many times he visited Buffalo. 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.
Kidder, Edward E., 1846-1927
Russell, Sol Smith, 1848-1902
Vale, Noah
Hudson, Alfred
Barker, Mary E.
Irving, Clara
Stevens, George, 1860-1940
Helena Modjeska was an acclaimed Polish-born actress known for her Shakespearean roles. Leading man Maurice Barrymore was the patriarch of the Barrymore acting family, father of John, Lionel and Ethel, and great-grandfather of actress Drew.
Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909
Barrymore, Maurice, 1849-1905
Owen, W. F.
Milton, Maud, 1850-1945
Ellison, Clara
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
Mid-Twentieth Century (1925-1975)
Marian Anderson was an African-American contralto known for her rich and vibrant voice. Although she was banned from some stages due to racial discrimination, she performed in Buffalo several times in concerts presented by Zorah Berry. Berry was a successful impresario who brought renowned musicians and singers to Buffalo.
Anderson, Marian, 1897-1993
Berry, Zorah, 1889-1969
Vehanen, Kosti, 1887-1957
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.)
Farrar, Geraldine, 1882-1967
Samaroff Stokowski, Olga, 1882-1948
Rosenstein, Arthur
Smith, Mai Davis
Ellis, C. A.
fra
Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)
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.
Gadski, Johanna, 1872-1932
La Forge, Frank, 1879-1953
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.
Philharmonic Society of New York
Charlton, Loudon, 1869-1931
Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911
Dame Nellie Melba GBE was an Australian operatic soprano, and one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era.
Melba, Nellie, Dame, 1861-1931
Davies, Llewella
Hoose, Ellison van, 1868-1936
Gilibert, Charles, 1866-1910
Sassoli, Ada
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
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.
Sousa, John Philip, 1854-1932
Schiller, Elizabeth
Straus, Jessie
Zimmerman, Leo, 1866-1935
Clarke, Herbert L. (Herbert Lincoln), 1867-1945
The child actress known as "Corinne" and her mother, Jennie Kimball, starred in this production. H.R. Jacobs of Albany managed theaters in Buffalo and several American cities.
Court Street Theatre (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Jacobs, H.R.
Corinne, 1873-1937
Kimball, Jennie, 1848-1896
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.
Elmwood Music Hall (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Bauer, Harold, 1873-1951
Gabrilowitsch, Ossip, 1878-1936
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.
Michael, Louise
Kraft, Genevieve
Riegger, Neira
Noe, Emma
Pasinati, Luigi
Molitor, Edward
Peroni, Carlo (Conductor)
Gonvierre, Claude
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
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
De Forest, Marian, 1864-1935
Wagner, Charles L. (Charles Ludwig)
McSweeney, D. F.
Buffalo Musical Foundation