Since Cincinnati Opera’s founding in 1920, the company has upheld the tradition of bringing some of the world’s finest singers to our stage, from "America’s Queen of Opera" Beverly Sills (Time Magazine) to stars of today such as mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton and bass Morris Robinson.
In Cincinnati Opera: A Centennial Celebration, Roger Pines, dramaturg of Lyric Opera of Chicago and opera expert, highlights some of the notable artists from Cincinnati Opera’s history. His is one of eight essays and hundreds of photos you’ll find in the commemorative book, available now through Cincinnati Opera’s online Bravo Shop.
Glorious Voices
By Roger Pines
The great American bass Morris Robinson was Ferrando in the 2015 staging of Il Trovatore. Writing for Opera News, Joe Law declared the performance “an evening of splendid Verdi singing.”
When Cincinnati Opera began, notable summer opera companies were virtually nonexistent in this country. There was concert opera at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, but except for The Muny in St. Louis, singers were left without significant summer opportunities for staged performances. Cincinnati Opera was a godsend, providing a venue for many of the greatest artists of the day. Today, a century later, the company continues its magnificent tradition of attracting the finest singers to Cincinnati.
Reading through the company’s performance annals, it’s fascinating to discover how many important artists were heard in repertoire unavailable to them in other major American opera houses. Very impressive indeed is the stylistic versatility certain singers exhibited during longstanding associations with the company. We can all take pride, too, in the fact that over the years, in a multitude of outstanding artists, so many have been American.
Below you’ll see photos of some of the incredible artists from Cincinnati Opera’s history.
Superstar soprano Beverly Sills appeared in eight seasons with the company, beginning in 1965 with all three of the soprano roles in The Tales of Hoffmann. She sang the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor in 1968 and 1971. Reviewing the 1968 Lucia (as seen above) for the Dayton Daily News, Betty Dietz Krebs wrote, “This is a voice of extraordinary beauty and it glints with colors never dreamed of.
Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Azucena in the 2015 Il Trovatore.
American mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett appeared in the 1970 production of Samson and Delilah. Frank Peters, visiting for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, wrote, “Evening rain dripped off the three open sides of the basilica and a breeze carried messages from the ducks and seals. It didn’t matter to the 2,000 people inside, because onstage Shirley Verrett was bringing down the house as the liberated heroine of Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila.”
Soprano Nicole Cabell as Juliet in the company’s much-loved 2019 production of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet.
Richard Leech’s 1989 Romeo opposite soprano Faith Esham was the kind of performance that generated opera fans for life. Ray Cooklis, reviewing for the Cincinnati Enquirer, wrote, “Leech was in glorious voice Thursday; his Act II ‘Ah, leve-toi, soleil’ was a shot-stopper.” Leech returned several times with the company, appearing in A Masked Ball, Tosca, and a reprise of Romeo.
Baritone Timothy Noble was Sir John in the company’s 1997 production of Falstaff. The Cincinnati Enquirer review praised his “perfect comic timing” and the “element of humanity” he brought to his Act II aria. Noble is on the faculty of Indiana University.
Absent from the repertoire for nearly four decades, Beethoven’s Fidelio returned in 2016 with soprano Christine Goerke as Leonore and tenor Russell Thomas as Florestan. In his review for Opera News, Joe Law praised the two renowned performers. He also noted, “There was first-rate singing from the chorus as well. The chorus of the prisoners had depth and shading, and there was great jubilation at the end. It was a memorable Fidelio, well worth waiting for.” Performances were given in the Procter & Gamble Hall at the Aronoff Center for the Arts while Music Hall was under construction.
Bass Norman Treigle appeared numerous times with the company from 1959 to 1974 and had a long affiliation with New York City Opera. His interpretations of the leading sinister roles in Faust, The Tales of Hoffmann, and Mefistofele were definitive and remain indelible and cherished memories among longtime Cincinnati Opera attendees. He is shown here as Boris Godunov, the last role he sang with the company in 1974, shortly before his death at the age of 47.
Read the entire essay in Cincinnati Opera: A Centennial Celebration.
Cincinnati Opera: A Centennial Celebration is a keepsake publication spanning the company's history from 1920 to 2020. This commemorative book features full-color photos and collected essays chronicling Cincinnati Opera's vibrant first century.