Charles Jaffe (1917 – August 16, 2011) was an American conductor and

musical director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

, after starting out as a

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards * List of contemporary classical violinists, notable contemporary classical violinists * List of violinist/composers, ...

with the

Curtis String Quartet The Curtis String Quartet was an American string quartet based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The quartet as an entity was formed in 1932Daniel John Carroll, "Brodsky, Jascha", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, ...

in Philadelphia. As musical director of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

'', he was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

in 1964.

Early life and education

Jaffe was born and raised in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

."Tony-Nominated Musical Director Charles Jaffe Passes Away at 94,"
Broadway World, August 16, 2011. He began his career at the age of 5 when he played solo violin with the Philadelphia Women's Symphony."Charles 'CJ' Jaffe,"

Philly.com ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

, August 17, 2011. He was admitted to the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

at the age of 12, graduating in 1933. There, he played a famous

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are co ...

violin, called the Marquis, which was built in 1685.

Career

Quartet and orchestra work

In 1933, at the age of 17, Jaffe joined the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

as a violinist, becoming the orchestra's youngest member. In 1935, he joined the

, which was formed in 1927 by students of the Curtis Institute of Music. Jaffe was the second new member to join the quartet. They toured throughout the United States and internationally, including a performance in the jubilee celebration for

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

in England in 1935. In 1945, Jaffe moved to New York City, where he became a violinist in the

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosca ...

under conductor

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

. He later started his own professional orchestra, the Symphony Society of Long Island, and worked as a violinist and assistant conductor for the New York City Center Ballet.

Theatre

In the mid-1950s, Jaffe began working on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, as a conductor, assistant conductor and musical director for classic shows, including the original productions of ''

'', ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'' and ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

''. He served as musical director on ''Fiddler on the Roof'' for five years, working with six different

Tevye Tevye the Dairyman, also translated as Tevye the Milkman ( yi, טבֿיה דער מילכיקער, ''Tevye der milkhiker'' ) is the fictional narrator and protagonist of a series of short stories by Sholem Aleichem, and various adaptations of th ...

s, including

Zero Mostel Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in ''Fiddler on the Roof'', Pseudolus on stage and on ...

. Jaffe was nominated for the 1964

Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director The Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director was awarded to acknowledge the contributions of conductors and musical directors in both musicals and operas. The award was first presented in 1948, and later discontinued after 1964. Winners ...

on the revival of ''West Side Story''.Dan Bacalzo
"Musical Director Charles Jaffe Has Died,"
Theater Mania, August 16, 2011. He was also the musical director on the 1964 stage production of the musical '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' at the Oakdale Musical Theater in

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in En ...

, which starred

Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and ''Playboy'' Playmate. A sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s while under contract at 20th Century Fox, Man ...

Lorelei Lee Amy Janas (born June 22, 1982), better known by her ring name Lorelei Lee, is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known by her appearances in SHIMMER Women Athletes. Professional wrestling career Mason-Dixon Wrestling (2006� ...

.Fred H. Russell
"Gossip of the Rialto,"
''

Bridgeport Post The ''Connecticut Post'' is a daily newspaper located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It serves Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Municipalities in the Post's circulation area include Ansonia, Connectic ...

'', July 5, 1964, p. 48. Around 1958, Jaffe became conductor of the

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

. He also arranged music for the

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

, and recorded with performers including

Jan Peerce Jan Peerce (born Yehoshua Pinkhes Perelmuth; June 3, 1904 December 15, 1984) was an American operatic tenor. Peerce was an accomplished performer on the operatic and Broadway theatre, Broadway concert stages, in solo recitals, and as a recordi ...

, Risa Stevens,

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

and

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary ''Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...

Personal life

Jaffe and his wife Thelma (née Fein) had two daughters. They lived in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the ...

, from 1945 until his retirement in 1988, when they moved to Newtown Township, Pennsylvania. He died at the age of 94 on August 16, 2011, at his home in

Warminster, Pennsylvania Warminster Township (also referred to as Warminster) is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was formally established in 1711. The township is 13.7 miles north of Philadelphia and had a population of 32,682 according to the 201 ...

Broadway credits

* ''

'' (musical director, 1956–62) * ''

'' (conductor, 1957–59) * ''West Side Story'' (musical director, 1964) * ''

'' (musical director, 1964–72)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaffe, Charles 1917 births 2011 deaths Music directors American male conductors (music) Broadway music directors American male violinists Male classical violinists Curtis Institute of Music alumni Musicians from Philadelphia Musicians from Queens, New York People from Flushing, Queens People from Warminster, Pennsylvania People from Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Classical musicians from New York (state) Classical musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American classical violinists