Obituary for Fred Cushman
Fred Cushman, 91, international operatic tenor and President of the Opera Project, died peacefully in his Lambertville home on May 7, 2020.
Fred was born on September 25, 1928 in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Carl Louis Fraser and Doris Florence Cushman. Fred was lovingly raised into young adulthood by Kathryn and William Haug of Stamford. He was predeceased by his wife Judith Lynne Crusan Cushman and his dear friend Deborah Covener Maher. Fred is survived by the many friends, neighbors, opera aficionados and students who loved him.
As a young man, Fred attended the Mt. Herman School in Northfield, Massachusetts and then pursued vocal training at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Miami School of Music. In the early 1950s, Fred served with Company H of the 60th Infantry Regiment at Fort Dix, NJ and eventually saw service in the Korean War.
His early performing experience in college led to a professional singing career with several prominent opera companies, including the NBC Opera Company, where Fred performed the soloist parts of Borsa in its 1958 production of Rigoletto and Jaquino in its 1959 production of Fidelio. He toured with the Metropolitan Opera Studio in the early 1960s, singing lead roles in various productions including Sganarelle, a comic opera by Walter Kaufmann, as well as Mozart’s Cost Fan Tutte. In 1961, Fred was the featured soloist at the University of Miami Summer Symphony Orchestra concert at the Miami Beach Auditorium where he sang numerous selections from La Boheme and Carmen. The Miami Herald music critic reported: “Cushman’s is a big, earthy, appealing, resonant voice and he holds it in fine control.”
Fred’s career also included notable performances in 1956 of Madame Butterfly with the Pro-Arte Opera Company of Havana Cuba and Turandot, La Traviata and Un Ballo in Maschera with various companies in Germany in the 1960’s and 70s. Several of his performances can be accessed by searching for “Fred Cushman” at www.youtube.com.
Fred was a long-time supporter and president of The Opera Project, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the support and nurturing of classical singing, in particular of emerging artists. Singers from the Opera Project have performed nationally and internationally at venues which include the Kimmel Center, Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. Fred personally sponsored and coached numerous young performers, providing encouragement and valuable assistance at the Beginning of their careers and he funded the Project’s Lynne Cushman Award in honor of his wife, given to deserving young performers.
Fred’s many close friends will remember him as a true gentleman, a natural performer, a quick wit and a lover of art and the arts. He had a charming smile, an endearing laugh and a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes that hinted at his adventures as a young man. His stories of encounters with famous people of his time were unforgettable, including Nat King Cole while serving him in a restaurant when Fred was a student at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Fred’s resonant tenor voice stood the test of time as evidenced through his many memorable performances of “Happy Birthday” for his friends. His strong will and fiercely independent nature were clearly at work until his very last moments. Fred will be greatly missed and always remembered. His beautiful house and garden in Lambertville and the city itself will never be the same without him.
Bravo! Bravo! Fred Cushman> Your smile will shine and your singing will reverberate in our hearts forever!
A celebration of Fred Cushman’s life and achievements will be scheduled at a later date.
Donations in Fred’s memory may be made to the Opera Project at http://www.theoperaproject.us/1.html.
Fred was born on September 25, 1928 in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Carl Louis Fraser and Doris Florence Cushman. Fred was lovingly raised into young adulthood by Kathryn and William Haug of Stamford. He was predeceased by his wife Judith Lynne Crusan Cushman and his dear friend Deborah Covener Maher. Fred is survived by the many friends, neighbors, opera aficionados and students who loved him.
As a young man, Fred attended the Mt. Herman School in Northfield, Massachusetts and then pursued vocal training at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Miami School of Music. In the early 1950s, Fred served with Company H of the 60th Infantry Regiment at Fort Dix, NJ and eventually saw service in the Korean War.
His early performing experience in college led to a professional singing career with several prominent opera companies, including the NBC Opera Company, where Fred performed the soloist parts of Borsa in its 1958 production of Rigoletto and Jaquino in its 1959 production of Fidelio. He toured with the Metropolitan Opera Studio in the early 1960s, singing lead roles in various productions including Sganarelle, a comic opera by Walter Kaufmann, as well as Mozart’s Cost Fan Tutte. In 1961, Fred was the featured soloist at the University of Miami Summer Symphony Orchestra concert at the Miami Beach Auditorium where he sang numerous selections from La Boheme and Carmen. The Miami Herald music critic reported: “Cushman’s is a big, earthy, appealing, resonant voice and he holds it in fine control.”
Fred’s career also included notable performances in 1956 of Madame Butterfly with the Pro-Arte Opera Company of Havana Cuba and Turandot, La Traviata and Un Ballo in Maschera with various companies in Germany in the 1960’s and 70s. Several of his performances can be accessed by searching for “Fred Cushman” at www.youtube.com.
Fred was a long-time supporter and president of The Opera Project, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the support and nurturing of classical singing, in particular of emerging artists. Singers from the Opera Project have performed nationally and internationally at venues which include the Kimmel Center, Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. Fred personally sponsored and coached numerous young performers, providing encouragement and valuable assistance at the Beginning of their careers and he funded the Project’s Lynne Cushman Award in honor of his wife, given to deserving young performers.
Fred’s many close friends will remember him as a true gentleman, a natural performer, a quick wit and a lover of art and the arts. He had a charming smile, an endearing laugh and a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes that hinted at his adventures as a young man. His stories of encounters with famous people of his time were unforgettable, including Nat King Cole while serving him in a restaurant when Fred was a student at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Fred’s resonant tenor voice stood the test of time as evidenced through his many memorable performances of “Happy Birthday” for his friends. His strong will and fiercely independent nature were clearly at work until his very last moments. Fred will be greatly missed and always remembered. His beautiful house and garden in Lambertville and the city itself will never be the same without him.
Bravo! Bravo! Fred Cushman> Your smile will shine and your singing will reverberate in our hearts forever!
A celebration of Fred Cushman’s life and achievements will be scheduled at a later date.
Donations in Fred’s memory may be made to the Opera Project at http://www.theoperaproject.us/1.html.