T H E BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC Mirror of a Changing Borough COURTESY OF BROOKLYN UNION GAS AND ITS AREA DEVELOPMENT GROUP NEW B,RO OKLY N\ A CADE1v1Y O'F MUSfC GROWING UP IN BROOKLYN THE BROOKLYN A C ADEMY OF MUSI C MIRROR OF A C HANGING B O RO U GH By Martha McGowan COU R TESY OF BROOKLYN UNION GAS AND I TS A R EA DEVELOPMENT G R OUP AC K 0\X'Ll.:[)(I~I ENTS PHOTOGRAPIIY BROOK! YN AC ADEMY O F MUSIC Pmo Ahbresua. reid, p. 27. G ratdul ,1ckno'' ledgment '' made to ROARD 0 1- DIRECTO RS Han ·e\ LtLhten, tem , Karen Broob Renna Abrams. Ltchtenstem , p. 5. Hopkm,, .m d the enttre RA ~I sr ;~ft C hns A(e,ander: G raham, p. 23. l lonmary C hatrmen: for ""''ranee, .1J\'Ice, anJ acces' to Rcrt Andrews Ryrd, p. 22. Hon. Edward I. Koch archt,·e,, to C h.1 rle' lnm"· ~h c h acl Peggv Ramett Luntey. p 4. l ion. I Inwa rd Golden T eatum and ~l cl mJ .1 L;1ne at Brookly n Fergus Rourke. ewman, McKenna, eth F.mon lJmon ("" Comp.1nr: Patncta Fla' 111 K;nan,lgh .m d Cus.K k, p 37. Paul Lepercq ;~ nd the 1Hher lihran an' at the Long RtcharJ Rr.1aten C1ldwell anJ Rohards, C hat rman . bland Htstnnc 1l ouet\ , ~hldred p. 32 Net! D. Chmman lreherrv 111 the Brooklyn Museum Tom Cu.naglia Louts, p. 32, Cullherg Lthrarv: the st,lft ot the Brookl yn group, p 35, Cob, p. 41, Perry·. p. 44. Vtee C hatrmen: Coll euton .u the Rrnokhn Puhhc " ext Wave" group, p. 45, A nderson, Rt ta I lil lman Lthr,ln, the lihr.m am m the Mustc, p. 45. I. Stanley Knegel Dance .mJ Rilh Rose T heatre Donald Cooper: Rtchardson , Shaw and Arne Vennema collect iOns at the New York Puhlic Pasco, p. 36, McLellen , p. 36. Frankl 111 R. ' W e t ~sbe rg Lthrary at Lmcoln Center; the staff of Anthony C nckman: Konmg and Henry Bmg, Jr. the Reference Room at the mam T romp, p. 27. Warren B. Coburn New York Public Lthrary , Harnet Lyons S tgnJ b traJ a: Jamtson and Goudreau, C harl es M. Dtker and Nanette Ramone fro m Borough p. 24. Jeffrey K. Endervelt Prestdent Golden\ offi ce: joseph French , Falk: Ftsc her, p. l 0. Mallory Factor the Brooklyn C hamher of Commerce, Davtd Farrell. Howard, Kane, Harold L. Ft sher Wilbur Woods at the Brookl yn O ffi ce of Kestleman and W aller, p. 29. Leonard Garment e\\ York C tty Planning, Paul Kur:ner Lots G reenheld. "Freud" company, Elt sabeth Gotbaum of Con Edtson, G lona Rosenblatt from p. 30. Stdney Kantor the Brookl yn lnstttute of Arts and Gyenes. Espert and compamon, p. 30. llarvey Ltchtenstem Cle nce~. Hard ')o Adasko of the Ne'' Ken Howard . Davtd-James Carro ll and Eugene H. Luntey York Clt'r Puhlic Development others, p. 39. Hamtsh Maxwell Corporation; Tupper Thomas, Admm­ R. Kayaert: Donn and partner, p. 26. Evelyn O rtner tstrator of Prospect Park, the staff of Jerry Kean. school children, p. 41 . John R. Pnce, Jr. Equtty Ltbrary Theatre, Mtchael Davtd James Klosty: Cunmngham, p. 24, Rtchard M. Rosan of Dodger Producttons, and former C unnmgham, p. 25. Mrs. Man on Scotto BAM staff members Tom Kerngan , Jane Paul Kolntk: lntem attonal Afn kan­ W tl ltam Tobey Yockel and Sharon Rupert. Amencan Ball et, p. 40. C urtis A . W ood T omasso Ia Pera: C helsea, p. 29. The Brooklyn Academy of MusiC extsts John E. Zuccotti only through the support of many true Jack Mttchell: Mtchelle Lucct and and fatthful fn ends. W e particularly others, p. 35 . want to thank: the C tty of New York O leaga: Ntkolats, p. 32. and tts Department of C ultural Affatrs, Martha Swope: Ham s, Feldshuh and O FFIC ERS Burstyn , p. 38. the New York State Council on the Prestdent and C h tef Nathamel Tileston : Lucmda C hilds Am, the Nattonal Endowment for the Executtve O fficer: Dance Company, p. 43. Arts, and the many corporations, foun­ Harvey Ltchtenstetn dattons and mdtvtduals who have gener­ Arthur Todd: N ureyev, p. 22. ously sustamed BAM through the years. New York Public Ltbrary at Lmcoln Executi ve VtCe Prestdent Center, Astor, Lenox and T tlden­ and General Manager: Copynght ~ 1983 by Dance Collection: St. Dents and judtth E. Daykm Brookl yn Academy of Mustc Shawn, p. 21; Dunham, p. 23. Lafayette A venue Vi ce Prestdent 30 Mustc Dtvtston: Kellogg, p. 10; D'Oyly Brookl yn , New York 11 217 and Treasurer: Carte poster, p. ll ; Melba, p. IS; Pnnted m the U ntted States of Amenca Ri chard Balzano Farrar, p. 19; Caruso and Ponselle, Cover: Artwork fro m the p. 19; Powers, p. 22. Vice President for Planning archtves of Judtth E. Daykin Billy Rose Theatre Collection: Rehan , and Development: Destgn : By Destgn p. 10; C ushman , p. 10; Duse, p. 15 . Karen Brooks Hopki ns CONTENTS 4 FOREWORD Eugene H. Lunrey 5 PREFACE Harvey Lichtenstein 6 THE ORIGINAL BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC (1859-1903) 16 NEW BOROUGH, NEW CENTURY, NEW ACADEMY (1908-1967) 24 THE REVITALIZATION OF BROOKLYN AND BAM (1967-Presenr) 46 ONSTAGE AT BAM (A Partial Roster) 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY FOREWORD In 1965 , Brooklyn U nion Gas Com­ pany inaugurated its C inderella Pro­ gram. Instead of changing pumpkins into coache , we help transform boarded-up townhouses, vacant apartment building and unused factorie into affordable housing by acting a the cataly t between local communities, builders, banker and owner . The ucce of the program con­ vinced u to continue this effort for over eventeen years. It al o con­ vinced u that neglected neigh bor­ hood can be brought back as desirable, liva ble' communities. The Brooklyn Academy of Music, the oldest performing arts center in Ameri ca, has had a rich heritage of pre enting the very finest in music, dance and theater. It recently re­ furbi hed building once again hine like a welcoming beacon to perform­ er and audience alike. It varied program attract people from all over. W e were one of the fir t corpora­ tions to upport BAM. In th is re­ spect, we fee l that Brooklyn Union Ga ha erved a a partner of the e succe ful BAM efforts over many year . We are proud of that. The fi nding of a tudy, made public recently, indicate that the art and cultural activitie pump $5.6 bi llion a year into the econ­ omy of the ew York Metropolitan area. T hi i good bu ine . Brooklyn Union believe that thi i another compelling rea on to up­ port BAM and other cultural in tt- tution m Brooklyn Union' ew York. Your upport of BAM i good bu ine ·, too. Eugene H . Luntey Pre tdent and C htef Executtve Officer 4 PREFACE The Brookl yn Academy of Music is Where is our responsibility? T o mental performance. This is a traditional Performing Arrs Center exhibit the great works of art from projected as a major international with a ense of continuity and his­ the past, certainly. But just as festival and will feature some of this wry dating back ro it incorporation importantly, ro sponsor, encourage country's most important contempo­ in 1859. Much of the rory i rold and promote the work of contempo­ rary artists, and, moreover, includes in this book. It is a strong base upon rary artists. touring some of this work to make it which ro build. Dance has been a visible and available outside of New York. While we all have a responsibil­ important part of BAM's program­ BAM's Community and Ethnic ity ro know and understand our ming for many years. Both the Programming, wh ich has met with past, we have an even greater "Ballet America" and the "Ballet both artistic and audience success, responsibility ro the present. To International" festivals have contrib­ encompasses a range of activity lack a sense of hisrory detracts from uted to BAM's eminence and have including tap dance galas, "Dance­ one's ability ro make considered introduced new companies, new Africa" festivals, Gospel programs, judgments. In many areas of the dancers and new work ro New York. visiting companies from the Carib­ arts, however, the past has over­ And the residency at BAM of the bean, and our joint program with whelmed the present. In dance, and T wyla Tharp Dance Company adds State University of New York, in painting and sculpture, that has to BAM's luster as a major dance "Dance Black America." The Per­ not been the case, and these two center. forming Arts for Young People areas of the arts have flourished Music has also been ably served program, a variety of dance, theater with important new work over the by our Brooklyn Philharmonic and music, is attended by approx­ past thirty years. We are now seeing Symphony Orchestra and by BAM's imately 80,000 stud ents each year. music and opera slowly emerge C hamber Music Series. They are Most of the activity is for grade­ from the past and from the clutches both sound operations, have excel­ school children, with a sampling of of academia and begin to emanate lent artistic direcrors in Lukas Foss Junior High programs; much of it vitality and humanity. Of course, and Scott N ickrenz, and serve a is educational in nature.