Remembering Roger Andrews

Roger Andrews with his wife, violinist Marilyn Reynolds.

Saturday night, the Met Opera Chorus lost one of its own. Roger Andrews, who sang in the chorus for over 2,000 performances and performed solo roles 152 times at The Metropolitan Opera before retiring 4 years ago, passed away suddenly at the age of 67 of an apparent heart attack. Fellow chorister Rebecca Carvin writes:

I first met Roger when I was a new chorister during a List Hall rehearsal. I was carrying a book by Robertson Davies, a favorite author of mine, and as it turns out, one of Roger’s too. Thus commenced a long conversation about books, music, food, travel, family and personalities. Roger was often my partner on stage, and the conversation continued during breaks in the action. Funny, articulate, with a wealth of knowledge, Roger was a wonderful conversationalist. Our conversation was picked up over the years, never skipping a beat, and when he retired, it continued via the occasional email. Our last conversation was over dinner in Montreal, where my husband and I took a mini-vacation a few years back. We picked right up where we had left off, with Roger full of information about the joys of retirement, encouraging me to do it as soon as was reasonably possible. To Roger, life was full of fun and possibility. He is sadly missed, fondly remembered, and gone way too soon.

Roger (on the left) during a curtain call for La fille du regiment.

From Roger's bio:

Roger was trained in theory and composition at Queens College (NY), graduating cum laude with highest departmental honors. He has appeared as a baritone soloist in the opera houses of New York, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Caracas, Venezuela. While a professor at Kenyon College, he founded the Opera Program and honed his skills as a lecturer on a variety of musical topics. He has written program notes for orchestras and chamber groups around the country. A stage director as well, he was completing a doctorate at NYC in Theatre History when he was invited to join the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, where he performed over 2,000 performances, both as a chorister and as a soloist. After retiring from the Metropolitan Opera he began began working as a stage director and piano accompanist, in Northern New York State and Montreal. 

Choristers Jason Hendrix and Dustin Lucas with Roger Andrews.

Choristers Mary Hughes and Rebecca Carvin with Roger Andrews.

He is survived by his wife, Marilyn, and his son, Rory. Rest in peace Roger.