Interviewee: Roland Fiori
Date of birth/age at interview: unknown
Interviewer: Rita Durrant
Interview date: August 3, 1984
Interview location: Durrant home
Interview length: 42 minutes
Time span discussed: dates not mentioned, but probably 1960s to 1984
Summary: A marvelous tape covering the New Hope music and (mostly non-painter) artistic scene in its later hay days. Roland is a superb name dropper and is in full control of this interview, which serves to promote his continuing work. In Roland’s defense we see a picture of the effort and struggle to create many, many performances, conjuring up a “wonderful musician’s career.” If we missed a dinner with the Maestro, we all missed a fun evening.
Time markers:
01:26 – in New Hope area because of his wife, opera singer Victoria Sherry
03:30 – home in old stone house on Stony Brook road between Aquetong and Street roads
04:04 – Odette Myrtil: her career, her restaurant (Chez Odette), and their relationship
06:05 – Moss Hart, George Kaufman, S. J. Perlman, Farmer’s Club program at Trinity Church Solebury with James Michener, paid with bushels of apples
07:00 – opera, Douglas Paxson
09:01 – Carl Sandburg staying with painter William Smith on Windy Bush Road
10:10 – Rosa Dion, Gertrude Stein, Sheldon Levin
11:49 – Julius LaRosa in Kiss Me Kate
14:35 – Bucks County Playhouse; concerts Central Bucks East and Holicong auditoriums
15:50 – many famous musical talents performed at his concerts
16:35 – George Nakashima furniture and stories, their bond, Happy Rockefeller returned her benches, “did not like the fabric”
19:55 – director of music at St. Martin’s Church
21:19 – Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Adele and Douglas Paxson
22:38 – James Morris, Vernon Hoffman, Ricardo Muti, David Barnett
24:54 – working with Mario Lanza
26:04 – his students; Piccolo Opera of Philadelphia
29:06 – his wife and their story, wedding, her operetta career, Max Rudolph
33:09 – performance of oldest American ballad opera, The Disappointment, or the Force of Credulity
37:24 – performing throughout the world
41:40 – St. Martin’s Church, Nakashima altar, cross over altar
