James H. Schwabacher was a recitalist and oratorio singer. Born in 1920 in San Francisco, he attended UC Berkeley, where he sang as a soloist with the University Chorus. In 1948, then chorus director of the San Francisco Opera Kurt Adlert cast Schwabacher in Wagner’s "Die Meistersinger." After he was hired for four more seasons, during which he sang 14 different roles. Schwabacher had three worldwide tours in Europe, Israel, and Scandinavia. There were also tours across America, and for six seasons he was a tenor soloist in New York with David Randolph’s Masterwork Chorus. After his career as a singer, Schwabacher co-founded the Merola Opera Program in 1957 and San Francisco Performances in 1980. In this interview, he discusses his early years in San Francisco, UC Berkeley’s Department of Music, teaching young singers, vocal interpretation, and Bay Area music organizations.
Title
James H. Schwabacher: Renaissance Man of Bay Area Music: Tenor, Teacher, Administrator, Impresario
Published
Berkeley, CA, Regional Oral History Office, 2001
Full Collection Name
Arts and Letters Oral Histories Individual Interviews
Type
Text
Archive
The Bancroft Library Oral History Center
Note
Schwabacher, James H. . "James H. Schwabacher: Renaissance Man of Bay Area Music: Tenor, Teacher, Administrator, Impresario." Interview by Caroline Crawford in 1999. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2001.
Interview date(s) 1999
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