Evening star., 1942-07-26
Music
Notes
San Carlo Opera
Season to Begin
At Water Gate
By lice EverSman.


The orchestral season at the
Water Gate, which has just fin
ished, will be supplemented by
week of grand opera presented by
Fortune Gallo and his San Carlo
Opera Co. There will be seven
performances of the best known
and best loved operas. ushered in
with the ever popular Carmen" on
August 7. The opening perform
ance will be benefit for the char
liable purpose of supporting the
bed free for some sick child which
the Newspaper Women's Club has
maintained in Children's Hospital.
When the story of the growth Of
opera in this country is compiled
in its entirety the name of Fortune
Gallo will stand out prominently.
He has done what no other inn
pressario has ever been able to do
made this country opera conscious
throughout its entire area. For 80
years this far-seeing manager has
toured from ocean to ocean, bring
ing the best operate traditions tc
the people for a price they could
afford to pay.
He has operated without backing
and has destroyed those ancient
beliefs that opera was both ex-
pensive and high brow and there
fore belonging only to few. Time
and again he has gone into COM
munities that could not expect to
hear opera and opened the eyes of
music lovers to the charm and edu-
cational value Of this much neglect
ed branch of music. He has started
clubs to studying the background
OF the operas to be presented in his
season, the history of the time and
setting, the lives of the composers,
the music itself, School children
have been encouraged to come to
the performances by special matt
nees and have had preparation for
understanding the work by the in
terest Of school authorities.
While other companies have been
subsidized by the rich, and famed
artists from abroad have been Sc
cured at enormous salaries, Mr..
Gallo has spent his own money,
has engaged American singers when
he could get them, and long before
the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts
became popular he had already
made the American public familiar
with opera.
Some 40 years ago Gallo sailed
from his native town of Tore Mag
giore in Italy to try his fortune in
America. His first job was with a
bank in Mulberry street, New York
City, at a salary Of So a week. 1t
wasn't long until destiny pointed
the way he was to 60, and he be-
came associated with the music
loving and wealthy Charming Ell
lery. who had taken over the man.
agement of the Italian military
band, Banda Rosa, which was then
touring this country. The actual
work OF managing fell to Gallo, who
with this experience later took over
Creatore's Band and finally
launched the Lombardi Opera Co.,
which toured the United States for
80 weeks. The high light of this
| period OF his career was the bring
ing of Leoncavallo from Italy to
conduct his own "Pagliacci"
The next step was the founding
OF the San Carlo Opera Co., which
has operated without pause ever
since. From this group many stars
have graduated to the Metropolitan
stage. Mr.. Gallo's yearly seasons
at Center Theater in New York are
record breakers as to audiences. and
his summer seasons at Jones Beach
were unique in the beauty OF pres
entation and the size of the at
tendance.
Besides Carmen" the operas to
be presented at the Water Gate will
be Aida August 8; Faust" Au-
gust 9; II Trovatore," August 10;
"Rigoletto," August IL; "Cavalleria
Rusticana" and "Pagliacci," August
IL, and "The Barber of Seville" /"
August Is.