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Hudson opera lives!
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| The Hudson Opera House has been undergoing extensive renovations since the early 1990s. (Jamie Larson/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers) |
Hudson opera in the Hudson Opera House
Jamie Larson
HUDSON — The Hudson Opera House has been a storied piece of the fabric of its city for 154 years. In its time the stately building has been the city hall, a venue for a vast range of events, a Moose Lodge, a forgotten city ruin left to rot and decay, and now, again, a vibrant cultural center in progress.
Over the weekend, in the still unrestored second floor performance hall, the Opera House hosted an important first, the premiere of a brand new opera, an opera about the city and for the city, and in many ways the building itself was center stage.
The opera, “Diamond Street,” was created specifically for the Hudson Opera House, who produced the performance along with Diamond Opera Theater. The project, which took more then eight months, was funded in part with a grant from the New York State Council of the Arts.
The first scene of “Diamond Street” opens on the steps of the opera house itself in the late 19th century. Hudson’s Mayor is running for re-election and promises to clean up the city, including the notorious and strongly established red-light prostitution district on Diamond Street, today known as Columbia Street. The comedy unfolds from there, steeped heavily, and often irreverently, in Hudson’s history and lore.
The Opera was written by renowned composer Harold Farberman, and Directed by Andrew Joffe, also the librettist. Hudson Opera House Executive Director Gary Schiro said producing the show was a busy but rewarding experience. While there are plans in motion to start renovations on the crumbling upstairs hall, Schiro said that the current ramshackle appearance is still attractive in its own way, and lent itself to the tone of the Opera.
“This is the most ambitious thing we’ve done yet,” Schiro said, “It’s challenging in a lot of ways, but it was gratifying to pull it off.”
The large performance hall’s scale and acoustics are unaffected by the decades of abuse, but the space is undoubtedly in need of serious and expensive renovations. Paint is peeling, a back corner is charred from a small fire and there are holes in the nearly every section of the walls and ceiling.
Many of the downstairs event rooms and offices have been restored, as has the exterior and roof, and though the hall’s restoration will be a long and complicated process Schiro talks about the future in absolutes.
Having a Hudson opera in the Hudson Opera House, Schiro added, only serves to invigorate the staff and Board of Directors’ vision of a completed theater.
“Having the opera here for three nights is special,” Schiro said. “It’s a wonderful house. It’s grand yet intimate.”
The building was constructed in 1855 and served as City Hall until 1962. In that time the performance hall was a venue for political meetings, plays, dances, poultry shows and basket ball. It also hosted numerous historically relevant speakers, including Susan B. Anthony who visited at least twice, lecturing the first time about abolishing slavery, and again to rally support for the women’s suffrage movement.
After the city moved out of the building in the 1960s it was bought by an out-of- town developer who let it sit unused for 30 years, letting loose upon it the ravages of time, nature, and homeless squatters, both man and animal. This was the condition the Hudson Opera House’s staff and investors inherited, and it’s a condition they have made substantial strides to repair. There is, Schiro said, is still much to be done.
With the experience of their very own opera now behind them, and sold out shows nearly every night, the Hudson Opera House hopes to use the momentum to help restore one of the most historically significant buildings in Hudson to its former glory.
For more information on the Hudson Opera House visit www.hudsonoperahouse.com.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
HUDSON — The Hudson Opera House has been a storied piece of the fabric of its city for 154 years. In its time the stately building has been the city hall, a venue for a vast range of events, a Moose Lodge, a forgotten city ruin left to rot and decay, and now, again, a vibrant cultural center in progress.
Over the weekend, in the still unrestored second floor performance hall, the Opera House hosted an important first, the premiere of a brand new opera, an opera about the city and for the city, and in many ways the building itself was center stage.
The opera, “Diamond Street,” was created specifically for the Hudson Opera House, who produced the performance along with Diamond Opera Theater. The project, which took more then eight months, was funded in part with a grant from the New York State Council of the Arts.
The first scene of “Diamond Street” opens on the steps of the opera house itself in the late 19th century. Hudson’s Mayor is running for re-election and promises to clean up the city, including the notorious and strongly established red-light prostitution district on Diamond Street, today known as Columbia Street. The comedy unfolds from there, steeped heavily, and often irreverently, in Hudson’s history and lore.
The Opera was written by renowned composer Harold Farberman, and Directed by Andrew Joffe, also the librettist. Hudson Opera House Executive Director Gary Schiro said producing the show was a busy but rewarding experience. While there are plans in motion to start renovations on the crumbling upstairs hall, Schiro said that the current ramshackle appearance is still attractive in its own way, and lent itself to the tone of the Opera.
“This is the most ambitious thing we’ve done yet,” Schiro said, “It’s challenging in a lot of ways, but it was gratifying to pull it off.”
The large performance hall’s scale and acoustics are unaffected by the decades of abuse, but the space is undoubtedly in need of serious and expensive renovations. Paint is peeling, a back corner is charred from a small fire and there are holes in the nearly every section of the walls and ceiling.
Many of the downstairs event rooms and offices have been restored, as has the exterior and roof, and though the hall’s restoration will be a long and complicated process Schiro talks about the future in absolutes.
Having a Hudson opera in the Hudson Opera House, Schiro added, only serves to invigorate the staff and Board of Directors’ vision of a completed theater.
“Having the opera here for three nights is special,” Schiro said. “It’s a wonderful house. It’s grand yet intimate.”
The building was constructed in 1855 and served as City Hall until 1962. In that time the performance hall was a venue for political meetings, plays, dances, poultry shows and basket ball. It also hosted numerous historically relevant speakers, including Susan B. Anthony who visited at least twice, lecturing the first time about abolishing slavery, and again to rally support for the women’s suffrage movement.
After the city moved out of the building in the 1960s it was bought by an out-of- town developer who let it sit unused for 30 years, letting loose upon it the ravages of time, nature, and homeless squatters, both man and animal. This was the condition the Hudson Opera House’s staff and investors inherited, and it’s a condition they have made substantial strides to repair. There is, Schiro said, is still much to be done.
With the experience of their very own opera now behind them, and sold out shows nearly every night, the Hudson Opera House hopes to use the momentum to help restore one of the most historically significant buildings in Hudson to its former glory.
For more information on the Hudson Opera House visit www.hudsonoperahouse.com.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
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