Chattanooga Symphony and Opera
Encyclopedia
The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera is a combined symphony orchestra and opera company in Chattanooga, Tennessee
, and the only such combined organization in the United States
.
, led by Melvin Margolin, gave a concert on November 5, 1933 with a few adult musicians from around town.
Borden Jones assisted Margolin in leading the group for its first four years. In 1938, Dr. Arthur Plettner from Juilliard became the conductor and would hold that post for the next 11 years.
Julius Hegyi was conductor from 1956 to 1965, when Charles Gabor took over on a temporary basis. He was succeeded by Richard Cormier, who was musical director through the 1983 season.
. Founders were Dr. Werner Wolff and his wife Emmy Land Wolff, veterans of German
opera who had escaped from Nazi Germany
, and Dorothy Hackett Ward of the University of Chattanooga. The company consisted primarily of local singers, but the Wolffs were well-connected in the opera world and attracted a number of renowned performers to Chattanooga as guest artists. Guest artists included Beverly Sills
, John Vickers
, Norman Treigle
, Phyllis Curtin
, and Norman Scott
.
, current musical director.
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, and the only such combined organization in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Chattanooga Symphony
The Chattanooga Symphony was established when students from Chattanooga High SchoolChattanooga High School
Chattanooga High School was founded in the fall of 1874 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee.-Status:Chattanooga High School, sometimes called "City" has evolved into two high schools...
, led by Melvin Margolin, gave a concert on November 5, 1933 with a few adult musicians from around town.
Borden Jones assisted Margolin in leading the group for its first four years. In 1938, Dr. Arthur Plettner from Juilliard became the conductor and would hold that post for the next 11 years.
Julius Hegyi was conductor from 1956 to 1965, when Charles Gabor took over on a temporary basis. He was succeeded by Richard Cormier, who was musical director through the 1983 season.
Chattanooga Opera Company
The Chattanooga Opera Company gave its first performance in February 1943, a production of Il TrovatoreIl trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
. Founders were Dr. Werner Wolff and his wife Emmy Land Wolff, veterans of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
opera who had escaped from Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, and Dorothy Hackett Ward of the University of Chattanooga. The company consisted primarily of local singers, but the Wolffs were well-connected in the opera world and attracted a number of renowned performers to Chattanooga as guest artists. Guest artists included Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. In her prime she was the only real rival to Joan Sutherland as the leading bel canto stylist...
, John Vickers
John Vickers
Sir John Vickers is a British economist, and Warden of All Souls College, Oxford.-Education:Sir John was educated at Eastbourne Grammar School and Oriel College, Oxford, culminating in his graduating with a DPhil from Oxford.-Career:...
, Norman Treigle
Norman Treigle
Norman Treigle was an American operatic bass-baritone, who was acclaimed for his great abilities as a singing-actor, and specialized in roles that evoked villainy and terror....
, Phyllis Curtin
Phyllis Curtin
Phyllis Curtin is an American classical soprano who had an active career in operas and concerts from the early 1950s through the 1980s. She was known for her creation of new roles such as the title role in the Carlisle Floyd opera Susannah, Catherine Earnshaw in Floyd's Wuthering Heights, and in...
, and Norman Scott
Norman Scott (bass)
Norman Scott was an American operatic bass. He had a long and fruitful association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1951 up until his death seventeen years later. His repertoire at the Met included well over 50 roles, and he gave a total of 927 performances at the house during his...
.
Merged organization
The Symphony and Opera merged in 1985, becoming the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association. Vakhtang Jordania became conductor and artistic director. He was succeeded in 1992 by Robert BernhardtRobert Bernhardt
Robert "Bob" Bernhardt is an American conductor, currently the musical director and conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, and the principal pops conductor of the Louisville Orchestra...
, current musical director.