Colin Graham, Opera Theatre's artistic director, dies

By Sarah Bryan Miller
POST-DISPATCH CLASSICAL MUSIC CRITIC
04/06/2007

Stage director, librettist and Opera Theatre of St. Louis artistic director Colin Graham, 75, died Friday of heart failure. He had more than 400 opera, theater and TV productions to his credit, including 48 works staged for Opera Theatre. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace in 2001 for service to British and American opera.

He did not want a funeral; a memorial concert is being planned for June. He had no survivors.

"Colin was not only a mentor for me but a good friend," said renowned soprano Christine Brewer, who is honorary chair for the concert. "I was always inspired by working with him. Those experiences were among the best of my life, and I will miss him."

The day before he died, he was working on the world premiere of composer David Carlson’s "Anna Karenina," for which Mr. Graham wrote the libretto. He had turned over stage directing duties to his assistant, Mark Streshinsky. "Anna Karenina" will be performed this month at Florida Grand Opera and in June at Opera Theatre.

"His presence will be very much felt in the production of ‘Anna Karenina,’ and for several seasons to come," said Opera Theatre general director Charles MacKay.

Mr. Graham was born in London in 1931. He attended Stowe School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His first ambition was to be an actor; his second was to sing opera. On his third try, directing, he got it right.

He started as an assistant stage manager at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In 1953, he began a long association with composer Benjamin Britten and the English Opera Group, quickly working his way up to directing. Britten’s "Noyes Fludde" was the first of the 56 world premieres Mr. Graham directed. Opera Theatre spokeswoman Maggie Stearns said that’s an operatic record.

Mr. Graham had a keen interest in Japanese theater and studied its forms in Japan. He commissioned Minoru Miki's kabuki opera "An Actor's Revenge," directing both the world and American premieres (London 1979, St. Louis 1981). That led to "Joruri," which had its world premiere in St. Louis in 1985 and its Japanese premiere in 1988, and of "The Tale of Genji," which premiered in 2000 in St. Louis and in 2001 in Tokyo.

"I find working on a new piece very challenging and stimulating, especially if one is involved a little bit in the creative process, not just taking a fait accompli and being told to get on with it," Mr. Graham said in a 2005 interview.

He worked at the Aldeburgh Festival, Sadler's Wells Opera/English National Opera and Santa Fe Opera, and staged productions for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Washington Opera, San Francisco Opera and New York City Opera, among others. He came to Opera Theatre of St. Louis as director of productions in 1978, becoming artistic in 1985.

He directed a new production of Britten’s "Gloriana" for Opera Theatre’s 30th season in 2005, which starred soprano Christine Brewer. Other major Opera Theatre productions included "Beatrice and Benedict," "Il Viaggio a Rheims" (in its U.S. premiere), operas by Britten including "Paul Bunyan" (in the U.S. professional premiere) and the U.S. premiere of Bernstein’s final version of "Candide."

Mr. Graham was a prolific author of librettos, for composers including Andre Previn, Britten, Stephen Paulus, Bright Sheng and Miki.

He designed and directed a new production of Britten's "Death in Venice" for the Metropolitan Opera and Covent Garden; it was nominated for an Olivier Award in London.

Mr. Graham, who wrote a training handbook for opera singers, made a specialty of training them. He was a U.S. citizen, lived in St. Louis and held honorary doctor of arts degrees from Webster University and the University of Missouri.

Mr. Graham became a body builder relatively late in life, in 1991, and a champion in his age category soon after.

"I always used to laugh at the huge and hideous trophies they gave out" at competitions, he told the Post-Dispatch in 1999. "Now I’ve got four of them standing in a corner of my living room."

Donna Wilkinson, chair of the Opera Theatre board, said: "He leaves a legacy of creativity and excellence, and we will miss him terribly, both personally and artistically."

MacKay added: "He’s given us so much. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of opera, and there isn’t anyone else like him in the world."

Along with his knowledge of theater, "he was such a kind man, in addition to being a forceful, and at times demanding, presence. … He was a kind and generous man, and to the end he had a twinkle in his eye."