Concert programs -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.
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.
Consistory Auditorium (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo Theater and Music Program Collection
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Publisher of digital)
Anderson, Marian, 1897-1993
Berry, Zorah, 1889-1969
Vehanen, Kosti, 1887-1957
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Mid-Twentieth Century (1925-1975)
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
deu
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
Theater programs -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.
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
Late Nineteenth Century (1850-1900)
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
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 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
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
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.
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.
Toscanini, Arturo, 1867-1957
Judson, Arthur, 1881-1975
Ervin, Edward
Gilman, Lawrence, 1878-1939
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, and her mother, Kit, was born in Buffalo.
Erlanger Theatre (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
Hepburn, Katharine, 1907-2003
Prince, William, 1913-1996
Brown, Vanessa, 1928-
Parsons, Milton, 1904-1980
Mather, Aubrey, 1885-1958
Theatre Guild
Benthall, Michael
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 actor Joseph Cotten starred alongside Hepburn. Hepburn has other local connections--her maternal grandparents lived here, and her mother, Kit, was born in Buffalo.
Barry, Philip, 1896-1949
Heflin, Van, 1910-1971
Cotten, Joseph, 1905-1994
Joy, Nicholas, -1964
Lonergan, Lenore, 1928-1989
Sinclair, Robert B., 1905-1970