Roger Andrews

Roger Andrews, opera singer, stage director, and music scholar, passed away on Friday, April 20, 2018 at his home in Rouses Point, NY. He performed as a chorister and soloist in over 2000 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, and as baritone soloist in opera houses in New York, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Caracas, among others. Roger graduated cum laude from Queens College (NY), with highest departmental honors. He studied composition and theory with Hugo Weisgall and Joel Mandelbaum, played the piano, sang, and played French horn, and later taught at the school. A fan of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas from a very young age, Roger developed exponentially as a singer after being drafted to perform at the College Light Opera Company in Cape Cod, MA. He eventually would star there, and later would direct shows at CLOC. Hired to teach voice, music appreciation, and theory at Kenyon College, he founded the Opera Program and became even more interested in stage directing than singing. It was at Kenyon that he honed his skills as a lecturer on a variety of musical topics, which later led to writing program notes for orchestras and chamber groups around the country. Roger returned to New York and was completing a doctorate at NYU in Theatre History when he was invited to join the Metropolitan Opera Chorus. After singing over 2,000 performances and over 150 small roles, he and his wife, violinist Marilyn Reynolds, moved north to the shores of Lake Champlain, where he finally had room for his impressive collection of music, recordings, and books. He also began to direct theatre in the North Country, and eventually found his calling in Montreal, directing Gilbert and Sullivan for the Savoy Society at McGill University and the Lakeshore Light Opera in Pointe Claire, Quebec. He was 67 years old, and is survived by his wife and his son, Rory. Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home, 29 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 (518)-561-3980. Online condolences and memorial candles may be offered at www.brownfuneralhomeinc.com