Members of the Burbank Choral Club, under the direction of Charles Monroe, perform on an open-air stage in a ravine in Stough Park, near the future location of the Starlight Bowl. The Burbank Choral Club was founded in 1920 by members of the Burbank Women’s Club as a community choir, and has performed continuously for decades. The club was renamed Burbank Chorale in 1985. According to the Burbank Department of Parks and Recreation, Stough Canyon Park originated as a gift to the city of over 128 acres to be used exclusively as public parkland from real estate developer Oliver J. Stough. The natural bowl of the ravine was first used for scheduled performances in 1935, with salvage lumber and telephone poles used for seating until the permanent Starlight Bowl was built and opened in 1951. Notes on the back of the photo: “Photo Art Shop, Burbank, Calif. In locality of Stough Park, Burbank Choral Club. Director, Charles Monroe. About 1930.” (Despite the date on the back, other accounts indicate that the seating shown was not installed until at least 1935, suggesting that this photo was taken later.)
Type
Image
Format
nonprojected graphic 8 x 10 b&w print
Identifier
islandora:1390 local: cco01398
Subject
Burbank (Los Angeles County, Calif.)--1930s--Audiences--Choirs (Music)--Choral societies--Men--Women--Singers--Trees
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