Anyone else miss Wayne Conner?
Philadelphia area opera lovers may recollect Conner as the alternative voice of opera on the airwaves. While the Met had Peter Allen for its live opera broadcasts from New York City – and Allen was marvelous at what he did – I much preferred the lovingly curated shows put together by Conner for WHYY FM. For 30 years, Conner was host and producer of “Singers World” and “Collector’s Corner,” both of which were syndicated on National Public Radio. Then he presented “Sunday Opera” for 12 years, into the mid-‘90s.
“Sunday Opera” was like a balm to me. I myself hosted weekend mornings on WWFM for 19 years. For much of that time, I would be up at 4:00, or even 3:00 in the morning. I would get home on Sundays just in time to dissolve into whatever world of operatic bliss Conner would devise.
Conner introduced recordings from his own extensive collection, bringing to bear his broad historical knowledge. He particularly loved French opera, and I looked forward to discovering all of the rare Massenet and Bizet he would share with his loyal listeners. He offered these on what I perceived as a “one for me, one for you” basis, with one week a historically significant recording of Verdi’s “La forza del destino,” and the next Chausson’s “Le roi Arthus.” In those days before the prominence of online shopping, “Le roi Arthus” moved me to place a special order at my local record dealer, and how I anticipated its arrival!
What I didn’t realize until well into Conner’s tenure was that he also had a firm foundation as an experienced singer. Born Jesse Wayne Conner in Dallas, TX, on January 5, 1929, Conner started out as an accountant and was working toward a law degree when he was convinced to pursue singing. He was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and earned a graduate degree from the Peabody Conservatory of John Hopkins University. He would later teach at both institutions – for well over four decades commuting to Baltimore twice a week from his home in Philadelphia – as well as at the Mannes School of Music in New York and Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts.
As a professional singer, he appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company, the Baltimore Bach Society, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. He performed recitals at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Palace of Fine Art in San Francisco. He also lent his tenor voice to performances at Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park and First Baptist Church in Philadelphia.
At the time not realizing the full extent of his career, I was excited nonetheless to run into Conner once at my neighborhood grocery store. It allowed me to tell him just how much I enjoyed his work on “Sunday Opera.” I think he must have been surprised to hear this from a listener then in his 20s, who had no obvious connection to any of his teaching positions. How I recognized him, I don’t recall, but I am glad I had the chance to tell him.
“Sunday Opera” was pulled from the WHYY roster shortly after I contributed to the station’s pledge drive. I didn’t have a lot of disposable income, but I made it a point to donate for the past few years out of my love for the show. To my knowledge, it would be Conner’s last regular program, although he would be called in from time to time to host special opera broadcasts, and he continued to lecture.
Conner died of liver cancer on May 9, 2008. He was 79 years-old. At some point, I was elated to discover he had recorded Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Waltzes” with a starry ensemble of musicians he had known through his association with the Marlboro Music Festival. Conner appears with soprano Benita Valente, alto Marlena Kleinman, bass Martial Singher, and pianists Rudolf Serkin and Leon Fleisher. I’ll share that recording on the next “Music from Marlboro,” this Wednesday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page
