Charles Jaffe (conductor)

Charles Jaffe (1917 – August 16, 2011) was an American conductor and musical director, after starting out as a violinist with the Curtis String Quartet in Philadelphia. As musical director of ''West Side Story'', he was nominated for a Tony Award in 1964.

Early life and education

Jaffe was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."Tony-Nominated Musical Director Charles Jaffe Passes Away at 94,"
Broadway World, August 16, 2011. He began his career at the age of 5 when he played solo violin with the Philadelphia Women's Symphony."Charles 'CJ' Jaffe,"
Philly.com, August 17, 2011. He was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music at the age of 12, graduating in 1933. There, he played a famous Stradivarius violin, called the Marquis, which was built in 1685.

Career

Quartet and orchestra work

In 1933, at the age of 17, Jaffe joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as a violinist, becoming the orchestra's youngest member. In 1935, he joined the Curtis String Quartet, which was formed in 1927 by students of the Curtis Institute of Music. Jaffe was the second new member to join the quartet. They toured throughout the United States and internationally, including a performance in the jubilee celebration for King George V in England in 1935.

In 1945, Jaffe moved to New York City, where he became a violinist in the NBC Symphony Orchestra under conductor Arturo Toscanini. He later started his own professional orchestra, the Symphony Society of Long Island, and worked as a violinist and assistant conductor for the New York City Center Ballet.

Theatre

In the mid-1950s, Jaffe began working on Broadway, as a conductor, assistant conductor and musical director for classic shows, including the original productions of ''West Side Story'', ''Fiddler on the Roof'' and ''My Fair Lady''. He served as musical director on ''Fiddler on the Roof'' for five years, working with six different Tevyes, including Zero Mostel. Jaffe was nominated for the 1964 Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director on the revival of ''West Side Story''.Dan Bacalzo
"Musical Director Charles Jaffe Has Died,"
Theater Mania, August 16, 2011. He was also the musical director on the 1964 stage production of the musical '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' at the Oakdale Musical Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut, which starred Jayne Mansfield as Lorelei Lee.Fred H. Russell
"Gossip of the Rialto,"
''Bridgeport Post'', July 5, 1964, p. 48. Around 1958, Jaffe became conductor of the American Ballet Theatre. He also arranged music for the Metropolitan Opera, and recorded with performers including Jan Peerce, Risa Stevens, Nat King Cole, Lena Horne and Ethel Merman.

Personal life

Jaffe and his wife Thelma (née Fein) had two daughters. They lived in Flushing, Queens, from 1945 until his retirement in 1988, when they moved to Newtown Township, Pennsylvania. He died at the age of 94 on August 16, 2011, at his home in Warminster, Pennsylvania.

Broadway credits

* ''My Fair Lady'' (musical director, 1956–62)
* ''West Side Story'' (conductor, 1957–59)
* ''West Side Story'' (musical director, 1964)
* ''Fiddler on the Roof'' (musical director, 1964–72)

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaffe, Charles
1917 births
2011 deaths
American music directors
American male conductors (music)
Broadway music directors
American male classical violinists
Curtis Institute of Music alumni
Musicians from Philadelphia
Musicians from Queens, New York
People from Flushing, Queens
People from Warminster, Pennsylvania
People from Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Classical musicians from New York (state)
Classical musicians from Pennsylvania
20th-century American conductors (music)
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century American classical violinists