9 Church Street
Fredonia, New York
The opening of the Opera House in April 1891 was a gala affair at which guests from throughout the region were treated to a rousing performance of Josephine, Empress of the French. The evening was the realization of a dream for officials of Fredonia whose plans for a municipal building overlooking Barker Commons had, from the beginning, included an opera house. This was a dream shared by many late 19th century communities where it was felt, with the coming of the railroads, their relatively isolated citizens could now have access to performing arts and other events formerly available only in major cities.
The Fredonia Opera House was an exceptionally large and elegant community theatre able to support a wide range of activities. For decades after opening night, virtually every citizen's life was, in some way, enriched. Attracted by the excellent acoustics, many of the best late 19th and early 20th century entertainers performed and brought troupes to the opera house. With a blend of professional and local talent, there were variety shows, light opera and dramatic offerings which included Hamlet along with recitals and graduations.
The opera house closed in 1981 though it was saved from destruction in the mid 1980s when the Fredonia Preservation Society which came into existence in direct response to the threatened demolition and a corps of committed volunteers who undertook what was to become a 9 year restoration of the theatre. At a cost of more than $1 million and with more than 30,000 volunteer hours, the opera house was returned to its former splendor. It has operated year-round since its grand reopening in November 1994.
This elegantly restored 19th century opera house showcases operas, ballets, concerts, films and other special events.
Sitting Pretty: Fredonia Opera House Reopens with Comfort
Photo Credit: Rick Davis, Executive Director
The Fredonia Opera House has opened the curtain on its renovations!
The Fredonia Opera House recently reopened with a taped performance of "Aida" from the "Live at the Met" series after closing for six weeks. The most noticable part of the renovations are the new, upholstered seats!
"The old, wooden narrow seats were a constant source of complaints from patrons. We thought it was nice to have our butts be the first impressions in those seats. Some opera house patrons used to uncushioned chairs, brought cushions, but discovered that they no longer need them. The old chairs were 15, 17 and 18 inches wide. About two-thirds of the chairs in the balcony were upholstered, but none were on the orchestra level. The new chairs range from 19 to 22 inches wide and all are upholstered."
Rick Davis, Executive Director
Workers had to remove all of the old chairs and painstakingly fill in the bolt holes. Chautauqua Flooring sanded, buffed and varnished the floors.
And a beautiful new stage curtain was installed by Rose Brand* located in Secaucus, New Jersey. It replaces a curtain that dated back to the massive mid-1980s restoration project.
The Fredonia Opera House has received a $25,000 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts as part of NYSCA's effort to support the nonprofit arts and culture sector.
"We're thrilled to receive this award. The opera house has been fortunate enough to receive an annual NYSCA grant award for nearly three decades now and we're honored to partner with NYSCA to fulflll our mission of presenting a variety of high quality performing arts programs at affordable prices year-round."
Rick Davis
*Rose Brand is "Your One Stop Shop" when it comes to stage curtains! Radio City Music Hall installed a custom 112' contour curtain made by Rose Brand. Rose Brand custom sewing operation is the largest manufacturing facility of its kind in North America.
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