By the Book

By Sandy Long

‘The Saga of the Empire State Music Festival: A Personal Recollection’

The bloom of most human accomplishment roots in dreams. But, just as in the world of nature, some dreams flourish, while others flower briefly, only to die. Such was the case for a dream of extravagant proportions that swept the small village of Ellenville, NY, into its magical realm in 1955, resulting in the Empire State Music Festival.

Author Harold Harris chronicles the tale of the dream’s birth and growth, the financial and natural storms that beset it, the antics and motivations of the individuals that turned it into reality and its ultimate demise.

The book is peopled with famous folks: Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Fiedler, Morton Gould, Carlos Chavez, Elaine Malbin, Red Buttons, Rocky Marciano and Mike Wallace (whose valiant but unsuccessful efforts to save the festival included a national plea on his television show, “Night Beat”).

But the heart of the story rests with one man, Frank Forest, whose passionate belief and personal finances made it possible for the dream to bloom, but also, ironically, forecast its failure. Forest, managing director of the festival, had co-founded a pharmaceutical company that saw great financial success. But he was also an accomplished performer who “was a major presence in the opera world of the 1930’s.”

	Contributed photo The Saga of the Empire State Music Festival

To summarize the role Forest played, Harris writes, “His standards were exceedingly high and the critical acclaim that the festival achieved was a reflection of these standards.... Unfortunately, his refusal to compromise led to the rise and then the demise of the festival.... Ellenville remembers him warmly and still recalls the days of glory that he brought with him.”

Indeed, several personal accounts included in the book’s final pages bear this statement out. Besides providing a high-quality cultural experience for residents and vacationers in the Catskills, the event also made it possible for people to participate in certain events and to interface with gifted performers who stayed in their homes.

Dr. Richard Craft, an Ellenville chiropractor, auditioned for and sang in two festival programs. He is quoted as saying that the festival “made everyone proud, enthusiastic and nostalgic. It brought the members of the community together.... There are many stories of musicians staying in local homes and playing the family piano or practicing their violin in somebody’s living room. It just created a wonderful atmosphere.”

Fantastic bloom that it was, the event, which transformed Ellenville for four years, delivering the small town into its heyday and forever affecting its history, required resources that ultimately did not present themselves. Even the act of relocating the festival did not reverse its financial starvation and, in a few short years, the dream was over.

But thanks to Harris, it will not soon be forgotten. The “Saga of the Empire State Music Festival” is printed in large type, making for easy reading, while the abundance of memorabilia surrounding the event—critic’s reviews, press releases, photos, site designs, fund-raising pleas, promotional posters—offers up a keen look at the guts and glory of such an undertaking.

Harris, a longtime fan of the beauty and history of the Hudson Valley, is also author of “Treasure Tales of the Catskills and Shawangunks,” a collection of area legends and folk tales. In addition, he is a working sculptor, with more than 30 one-man shows over a period of 25 years.

“The Saga of the Empire State Music Festival” is published by GreyCore Press, of Pine Bush, NY. Proceeds from the sale of this book benefit the Ellenville Public Library. For more information, visit www.greycore.com or call 845/744-5081.