Frank Rigo (c. 1868 – 5 August 1936) was an American director of

grand opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and Orchestra, orchestras. The original productions consisted of spectacular design and stage effects with plots normally based on o ...

who had a substantial career in Australia, where he died penniless, leaving an orphaned daughter.

History

Rigo was born in America and grew up in New York, where he developed a love of opera. He was associated with the production side of the business at the Met and in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, London. He left for Australia in 1911 to work as producer for the Melba- Williamson combination, and remained in the country after his period of contract was over. He made several attempts at founding a permanent opera company and mounted several important productions. His ''Rigo Grand Opera Company'' was in 1919 taken over by

J. C. Williamson's J. C. Williamson's, formerly Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove and Williamson and Musgrove, was an Australian theatrical management company and theatre owner. With its beginnings in the theatrical productions of J. C. Williamson and his p ...

. Among the performers whose careers he promoted were

Browning Mummery Joseph Browning Mummery (12 July 188816 March 1974), was an Australian opera tenor of the 1920s and 1930s who achieved a considerable reputation in Europe and America. He appeared on stage with Dame Nellie Melba on various occasions at her reque ...

Strella Wilson Austral Groves "Strella" Wilson (19 December 1894 – 10 February 1989) was an Australian soprano, World War II troop entertainer, and radio personality. She was not only a favorite in Australia, but also performed in North America, England, Hon ...

and Frederic Collier. Other stars of Rigo's operas include Constance Burt, who played Gretel in ''

Hänsel und Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

'', Marguerite in ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' and Pamina in ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

''; also Nellie Lafferty, who played Hansel to good reviews, but whose career was cut short by the 1914–18 war and a throat malady. Despite several benefit concerts held to celebrate his contribution to opera in Australia, he died in poverty at his home in Dalgety Street, St Kilda. His only relative in Australia was a 14 year old daughter. A benefit was held to support her, and the Melbourne ''Argus'', harking back to Rigo's generous nature, started a fund with the same object. In the first instance she was brought into the home of A. C. Bartleman, the well-known music teacher and associate of Browning Mummery. As an American by birth, she was free to be adopted by relatives in America, and J. C. Williamson offered his assistance if that action were taken. She did in fact return.

Notes and references

External links

Silver watch, gift from Melba to Rigo, donated to Arts Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigo, Frank Australian opera directors Australian theatre managers and producers 1860s births 1936 deaths American emigrants to Australia Immigrants to Australia