May L. Valentine had the vision to steal opera from the elite and give it to the masses. Valentine was the first and only woman to conduct operas at the time. She was considered one of the “truly great opera conductors, with wonderful sympathy for artists”. With her own touring opera company, May Valentine’s “Robin Hood”, she brought opera to remote towns across America, performing at Cheboygan on September 20, 1922.

“Miss Valentine’s plan … envisions several large such companies presenting new and standard operas, in English, staged and performed in such a way as to be understandable by the mass of musical comedy enthusiasts, but still maintaining the highest level of musical art. “

Born in 1890, Valentine grew up in Michigan City, Indiana. His talent was discovered early on by Mrs. John A. Barker whose husband owned Haskell and Barker Automotive. Barker mentored her, introducing her to the best instructors possible. Valentine trained in Boston and then in Chicago with Campanini, the founder of the Chicago Grand Opera Company. She toured Europe. At 20 in 1910, Valentine made her American debut conducting covers of Gilbert and Sullivan on the East Coast. While in New York City in 1919, she conducted a large company of Grand Opera Singers at the Park Theater.

There she was approached by Reginald De Koven, the greatest American opera composer who wrote 23 light operas in the late 1800s. Her greatest hit “Robin Hood” was produced in 1890, the year of the birth of May Valentine. De Koven was last conducting Robin Hood in New York when he saw Valentine at work. He hired her to conduct the orchestra of the “Robin Hood” revival, a traveling company that would tour the Chautauqua circuit. Although De Koven died in 1920, Valentine remained with the piece, moving from conductor to producer and running her own opera company.

This all-American version of the classic English folk tale was the perfect fit for promoting the Chautauquan ideals of cultural and social education for all. A woman in such a male dominated position of power fit with Valentine’s vision of opera for the people.

Valentine said: “The fact that few other women have attempted such a task doesn’t terrify me at all. I have a distinct feeling that the country is fed up with jazz and the lighter musical offerings and really wants things that are grounded in real art and that call for something higher than the simple desire to be amused.

Opera fans and theater critics alike agreed. The Waukegan Daily said: “The Grand Old Opera is coming back. When we are fed up with pranks in the bedroom and whirlwind girl shows and fed up with the vampires and the poor woman and her woes and wish a miracle would bring us something good, it good to see the good news on the invoices, Robin Hood. “

But engaging the general public in opera was a tough sell with many hurdles. Taking troupes of 30 performers across the country by rail and finding venues large enough to host performances was an expensive endeavor. Charging the prices of the big cities in the small towns has scared the public away. Finding theater managers willing to suffer financial loss on a bet was difficult.

May Valentine’s “Robin Hood” came to Lansing before heading north to Cheboygan. The Lansing State Journal said, “Real opera here is something optimists have despaired of. … Several opera producers have tried to launch mediocre productions which have met a catastrophic end. … Everyone outside of the big cities should depend only on the railways and have a generous bank account to visit the cities and see this class of entertainment.

That an organization of opera stars drawn directly from the largest conservatories of music in our own United States can be brought to the smaller towns is nothing short of luck in Robin Hood’s upcoming production. as presented by the organization of May Valentine. In Europe, opera is subsidized by the state or by municipalities. … Any manager who is willing to bring opera to small towns, risk capital in an opera business, surely deserves encouragement from those who would make opera a legitimate standard entertainment in this country.

The quality of May Valentine’s production was undeniable. Critics were enthusiastic, but in some cities the seats were hard to sell. Cheboygan Democrat read: “But they got a very small house. For many years, Cheboygan has not heard such a delightful profusion of musical voices or seen such a delightful comedic opera as the one performed at the City Opera House last Wednesday – Robin Hood. Soloists with voices of the caliber of the Metropolitan Opera … added to the sumptuous costumes, the splendid accompaniments and the perfect lighting effects, which have made the opera one that will leave a pleasant memory to every music lover of the city who were present.

Cheboygan wasn’t the only city where audiences were skeptical of opera. In Hiawatha, the Kansas Review apologized for the low turnout. “If an apology is due, it’s up to Hiawatha to make them. The city is “fed up” with entertainment. “Robin Hood” came at a bad time. Despite the tiny house of only around $ 400, the folks at Robin Hood left feeling good about Hiawatha.

By the time May Valentine wrapped up her tour with “Robin Hood, she has conducted over 2,000 performances in 47 states and Canada.” She moved to Chicago, forming and accompanying choirs for the Chicago Civic Opera and the Lyric Opera. She was also curator of the Chicago Lyric Opera Library, before retiring from the opera company at the age of 83.

– Kathy King Johnson is the former Executive Director of Cheboygan Opera House.