Q. What world class bass-baritone made a guest appearance here in April 1960?
A. Norman Treigle was one of a handful of prominent guests who joined the Chattanooga Opera Association for its presentation of “Susannah” on April 12, 1960, at City High School. The production was part of an event called the April Arts Festival.
Treigle was joined for the performance by fellow New York City Opera members soprano Phyllis Curtin and tenor Richard Cassilly. All three had been members of the cast when “Susannah” made its European debut at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. The guest conductor was Siegfried Landau, founding conductor of the Brooklyn Philharmonic.
Treigle, who died 50 years ago on Feb. 16, 1947, played the Rev. Olin Blitch, a role he would return to many times in his career. In a 2009 story on Treigle, WOSU radio in Ohio noted that for two decades, a production without Treigle as Blitch was almost unthinkable.