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Title
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Dra Mu Opera Company Presents Cavalleria and Il Tabarro
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Description
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The Dra-Mu Opera Company, "Dra-Mu", was a significant Black opera company in Philadelphia, active during the mid-20th century. Co-founded by Raymond L. Smith and Henri Elkan (Van Atta 1980), the company provided a platform for Black artists to perform operatic works at a time when opportunities in mainstream opera were limited due to racial discrimination.
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Concert program.
Page 1 was a seating chart and ticket order form for the Academy of Music’s May 2, 1953 Dra Mu Opera Company performance, showing Parquet, Parquet Circle, Balcony, and Box layouts with prices. It served as a combined seating map, price guide, and mail-in ticket request with payment.
Page 2 promoted the Dra Mu Opera Company’s debut at the Academy, featuring Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, with favorable press from multiple local newspapers. As Philadelphia’s first all-Black operatic group to perform these works there, it marked a milestone in the city’s African American performing arts history.
Page 2 includes two photos—one of the principal performers, likely as Turridu and Santuzza, and another of a costumed chorus from Cavalleria Rusticana. Tickets were sold across Philadelphia and nearby towns, indicating strong local support.
The program did not list the cast or chorus, but Vernon Hammond (d. 1988) and Doris Doree (d. 1971) merit recognition. Hammond, longtime director of the Academy of Vocal Arts, likely joined Dra Mu through that role; he also founded and conducted the Bucks County Symphony, was an accomplished pianist and organist, and later conducted the Savoy Opera and Philadelphia Grand Opera Companies (V. Hammond - Obituary 1988). Doree performed with the Metropolitan Opera, danced ballet at Radio City Music Hall, and later coached singers and stage-directed operas (Recital at Penn 1959). A stage director serves as the creative leader, guiding all aspects of a production.
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Rights
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This work is not in copyright, but commercial uses of this digital representation are limited. For more information, contact blockson@temple.edu and see http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-NC/1.0/
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Format
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Text
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Language
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eng
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Spatial Coverage
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Philadelphia, PA
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Contributor
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Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection
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Identifier
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Dra Mu Opera Company Phila. Branch of National Association Of... Folder 21 The Dra Mu Opera Company Presents Cavalleria and Il Tabarro
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Date Created
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1953
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Is Part Of
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Dra Mu Opera Company Philadelphia Branch
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Subject
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Theater
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Opera
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Sales
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Theater audiences
