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Submitted by Thad Coverdale
Assistant Principal Oboe, Claflin Hill Symphony
In 1970, I was 15 years old
and a sophomore at Washington High School in, Massillon, Ohio, a town about 50
miles south of Cleveland and known widely for its football program. I was very
much into band and choir so I was one of the band/choir geeks. We were very
fortunate to have a school committee that cherished its music program, so
consequently we had the best High School choir director in Ohio. R. Byron Greist
taught at Massilon for 30 years and boasted 28 years of superior championship at
district and state contest. The band director, Orrin 'Dyke' Ford, had recently
retired after 28 years. We had an interim director for two years until the
committee hired James Billingsley, from the Oberlin school district. He was
truly awesome and inspiring, he brought with him the ideas that our band needed
to make it a superior group also.
In those days the Metropolitan Opera would go on tours throughout the country to
perform. Mr. Greist would organize a field trip to Cleveland to hear and see the
operas. My very first live performance of Classical music was just such a trip.
I had only ever seen/heard orchestras on the radio or on television. I remember
being very excited about the trip. Mr. Greist was from the old school of
propriety that believed that when you went to a live performance you must be
properly dressed. So a tie was required and a jacket. We were a handsome bunch
of kids accompanied by an equally handsome group of parents.
We arrived at Cleveland's Public Auditorium by chartered bus and entered a
beautiful old ornate theater. The kind that was furnished in the 1910's with
lots of marble and crystal chandeliers and gilt wood everywhere. We had very
good seats in the right balcony which provided an excellent view of the wealthy
patrons seated in the orchestra section and the stage. What a sight! I remember
thinking how opulent they all looked, women in jewels and furs, men in tuxedos.
I also remember purchasing a libretto in the lobby so I could understand the
opera that evening; in those days we didn't have the luxury of super imposed
translation.
The house went dark at precisely 8:00 and the live orchestra began the famous
overture and the curtain opened on a scene that was, to me, utterly fantastic.
Hillsides in the background, a large city gate and the cigarette factory. Then
the overture ended and segued into the scene. What followed was a life changing
experience, three hours of beautiful singing and music and drama and spectacle.
The entry of the Torreadors, the obvious love affair, the dramatic climax as a
result of love gone wrong. Man was I blown away! I still have that libretto, but
more importantly, I still vividly remember the music and the action and the
experience. How fortunate we are to be able to witness that kind of beauty even
today.
Although Milford isn't hosting the Met, no one is these days except New York, it
is providing an opportunity for the people of Metrowest Boston to hear and enjoy
live music provided by some of the best vocalists and musicians around. I hope
those of you who read this account take advantage of a night you won't soon
forget.
Thad Coverdale
Assistant Principal Oboe
Claflin Hill Symphony
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