William Matheus Sullivan (1885–1947) was a prominent lawyer and his passion for classical music led him to become the founder of a renowned music festival. Moreover, at his death, The William Matheus Sullivan Musical Foundation (also known the Sullivan Foundation) was founded by his bequest.

Biography

William Matheus Sullivan was born in 1885, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. Sullivan became the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

's attorney and he was the attorney also of many of the Met singers. He sponsored singers and musicians who would become famous in their own fields. In 1936 Sullivan moved to a large house in

Ridgefield, Connecticut Ridgefield is an affluent New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains and on the New York state border, Ridgefield had a population o ...

called "Dunrovin". Sullivan was also an art collector and he owned ''The Holy Family'', by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

, that hung in the carriage house after it became his playhouse; the painting is now at the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ( "Vienna Museum of art history, Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, i ...

in Vienna. From 1938 the playhouse was the first home of the local music festival. The visiting singers included the soprano

Lily Pons Alice Joséphine Pons (April 12, 1898 – February 13, 1976), known professionally as Lily Pons, was a French-American operatic lyric coloratura soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an op ...

, the tenor Edward Johnson,

Grace Moore Mary Willie Grace Moore (December 5, 1898January 26, 1947) was an American operatic lyric soprano and actress in musical theatre and film.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', January 29, 1947, page 48. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee N ...

Lawrence Tibbett Lawrence Mervil Tibbett (November 16, 1896 – July 15, 1960) was an American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone with large, deep, and dark-timbred voice. His dynamic range (in ...

and

Geraldine Farrar Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing Dramatic soprano, dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." In the 191 ...

. Sullivan donated the profit from the concerts to the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The festival ended with Sullivan's death in 1947. "Dunrovin" burned to the ground in an accidental fire in the 1970s, while the playhouse became a private residence. He was a close friend of

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

, the Duke of Windsor, who donated him his English sheepdog. Sullivan is buried in

Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and a designated National Historic Landmark. Located south of Woodlawn Heights, Bronx, New York City, it has the character of a rural cemetery. Woodlawn Cemetery opened durin ...

with his partner, interior decorator Aaron "Arcie" Lubetkin (August 27, 1887 - September 1955). Lubetkin was one of the 13 sons of Russian immigrants Max Lubetkin (1851-1919) and Rachel Miriam Madansky (1857-1919). At the death of Lubetkin and then Hoenig, the fund was turned over to form the "William Matheus Sullivan Musical Foundation". Arcie Lubetkin donated the Hammond electric organ to the Mead Memorial Chapel, Waccabuc, New York, in memory of Sullivan. The organ was dedicated in September 1947 by David Williams, organist at

St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Manhattan) St. Bartholomew's Church, commonly known as St. Bart's, is a historic Episcopal parish founded in January 1835, and located on the east side of Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City. In 2018, the chu ...

. The organ is important from a heritage point of view, since there are not many Hammond organs still existing. The commemorative plaque reads "Remembrance. The only paradise from which we cannot be driven."

Legacy

The William Matheus Sullivan Musical Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding, developing, and furthering the careers of promising opera singers within the United States. It was founded through a bequest of William Matheus Sullivan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, William Matheus 1885 births 1947 deaths American art patrons 20th-century American philanthropists Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)