As a co-founder of Opera Maine, I worked closely with the late Ellen Chickering for years and can be forgiven for shedding a tear while reading Staff Writer Bob Keyes’ warm retelling of her many accomplishments (Passages, April 26, Page B7).

The feature obituary also included a brief mention of Ellen’s involvement with Opera Maine’s young singers. A correction is in order. Her involvement with Opera Maine’s young singers was monumental.

In fact, Ellen was not only the originator of Opera Maine’s Young Artists Program, she was the personification of it for well over a decade. She chose its young singers, she created their presentations, she rehearsed and directed them, and in many cases she created their costumes by her own hands, all the while teaching them and counseling them to become better artists and human beings.

Many of her students went on to appear in Opera Maine’s mainstage productions and on the stages of other leading companies. She had boundless energy and a consuming passion for her art.

In a word, she was a force.

Here at Opera Maine, we love the idea that the University of Southern Maine has created a scholarship in her name. We will be developing a memorial of similar scope. Ellen’s contributions to the art form to which we are devoted can never be forgotten, and the gratitude of all of us should forever be expressed.

Jack Riddle
South Portland


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