By Carol Fisher-Linn
Fredonia Opera House presents so more than just Madama Butterfly. This destination is a visit must go on your Bucket List…
An easy drive from Ellicottville, one finds a local venue of wide-ranging entertainment called The Opera House in Fredonia NY. Since it is known as the “Opera” House, let’s first look at that genre which serves as only a portion of their presentations. The Fredonia Opera House presents 8 operas annually – live, via satellite. Tickets are $20 for general seating in any of their 390 seats (including eight spots reserved for wheelchairs). Here, patrons get an opportunity to enjoy performances from venues all over the globe. The bonus, when available, is the Pre-Opera talk from a student or professor from Fredonia SUNY University’s School of Music which also produces fully staged operas at Hillman Opera on their own campus. This collaboration makes the patrons’ experience much more personal and inviting. As a strange bonus during the intermissions, remote viewers get the opportunity to watch interviews of the performers, costume or set designer, musical conductor or the stage di-rector, etc., which curiously, is not available to the on-site patrons.
The 1891 member-supported Fredonia Opera House building was shut down for a few years and then, thanks to an all-volunteer Preservation Society, the Opera House was restored and reopened by November 1994. And all new padded, larger seats were a welcome addition this past year! Bravo!
That’s a lot to be said about the staying power of opera and public entertainment. However, there’s also a lot to be said about the many varied experiences one is offered at the Fredonia Opera House. The name (Opera) may sound “off-putting” to some yet it is also home to Bluegrass and Folk, Jazz, Military ensembles, programs like Art in the Afternoon, movies (look for Elvis in the fall), and history and architecture programs where visitors may visit, via satellite, famous museums and iconic buildings (recently – the Papal Basilica in Rome).
Here are some upcoming spring events: USAF Heritage Brass, May 22; Ten Cent Howl, May 29; Live at the Met – Frida y Diego, May 30; History Lecture – Erie RR, June 4; Downbeat Percussion – The official drumline of the Buffalo Bills, June 5; National Theater Live presents Ham-let, June 13. More to come as their schedule firms up. Sneak peek for Jazz lovers: check back in November 2026 for performance by Jazz saxophonist/vocalist (think Ella Fitzgerald) Camille Thurman and the Darrell Green Trio. They have performed at The Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, etc., and were selected by American Music Abroad to perform in Mozambique, Senegal and elsewhere in African nations. And now, Fredonia, NY!
Executive Director, Rick Davis, is over-the-top in his enthusiasm about working with Fredonia and its neighboring communities, and particularly with SUNY Fredonia with whom they often collabo-rate. He tells us: “Chautauqua County residents are extremely fortunate to live in a county that is so rich in arts and culture. From Jamestown to Chautauqua to Westfield, and of course Fredonia, there are so many incredible arts venues, artists and organizations.” (Writer’s Note: These, of course, include Roger Tory Peterson Institute, driving art trails, public art – who can’t forget “Scary Lucy” – and murals of Lucy, Desi and a newer one of Roger Tory Peterson surrounded by his beloved birds.) Davis continues: “And the Fredonia Opera House is honored to be among them. We present on aver-age 95 to 100 events each year as part of our mission to offer a wide variety of high-quality pro-grams at an affordable price to the community. Our goal is artistic diversity; we strive to offer some-thing for everyone.”
And indeed, they do. Located at 9 Church Street, free parking is available next door with addition-al parking conveniently on the streets and surrounding village lots. The building, which is part of the building housing the Village Hall, has an entrance off Temple Street which offers an elevator (on the right) to the main level of the theater. Restrooms are also easily accessible. Since it is member, donation and grant supported, donations and memberships are always welcome. Check their sched-ule at www.fredopera.org for upcoming events and prices which range from $5 to $20. Military bands are free. Feel free to bring in your own bottled water as snacks are generally not available.