Ernest McChesney

Ernest McChesney (July 22, 1912 – July 25, 1991) was an American tenor who had an active singing career in operas, musicals, and concerts during the late 1920s through the early 1960s. He was notably a principal tenor with the New York City Opera from 1954 to 1960.

McChesney began his career as a teenager appearing in the ensembles of the original Broadway productions of My Maryland (1927) and The New Moon (1928). This was followed by a small supporting role in Princess Charming in 1930. His first major break came the following year when he became one of the featured performers in the Ziegfeld Follies.

McChesney made his professional opera debut in July 1933 with the Central City Opera as Danillo in Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow He performed periodically in concerts, operas, and operettas throughout the United States during the 1930s while receiving more formal training at Syracuse University. In 1934 and 1935 he sang roles with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. He also sang on the radio many times in the 1930s. On October 17, 1937 he sang the role of Abel in the world premiere of Louis Gruenberg's Green Mansions with CBS radio. In 1938 he graduated from Syracuse with a Bachelor of Music degree.

In 1940 McChesney was the tenor soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Minneapolis Symphony and conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos. In 1941 he made his New York City recital debut at Town Hall. In 1942 McChesney graduated from the University of Michigan with a master's degree in vocal performance. Shortly thereafter he returned to Broadway to portray Eisenstein in Rosalinda, an adaptation of Die Fledermaus. In 1943 he was the tenor soloist in Bach's Mass in B Minor with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Bethlehem Bach Festival. McChesney was also a repeat performer with NYC's New Opera Company during the early 1940s.

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