Lois Kirschenbaum New York's oldest opera and ballet lover Country: USA

1. The Oldest Opera and Ballet Lover in New York City
2. Early Life and Introduction to Opera
3. The "Opera Switchboard"
4. Retiring and the Joy of Music
5. The Thrill of the Finest Performances
6. A Legend at the Opera

The Oldest Opera and Ballet Lover in New York City

Lois Kirshenbaum is an 80-year-old Brooklyn native who holds the title of New York City's oldest opera and ballet aficionado. Metropolitan Opera artistic director James Levine, known affectionately as "Jimmy" to Lois, attended her 75th birthday party and gifted her with a ring—a symbolic gesture reminiscent of Wagner's opera cycle.

Early Life and Introduction to Opera

Growing up as an only child in the working-class Flatbush neighborhood, Lois's primary passion was baseball, cheering for the Brooklyn Dodgers. However, in her early twenties, she stumbled upon her first opera, "Pagliacci," at the Amato Opera on Bleecker Street. The divine voice of Renata Tebaldi captivated her. When the Dodgers left for Los Angeles in 1958, Lois replaced her baseball obsession with a newfound love for opera, and to a lesser extent, ballet.

The "Opera Switchboard"

In the late 1950s, Lois and her parents moved to an apartment in Manhattan, where she resides to this day. Aside from listening to the New York Yankees games on the radio, Lois spends most of her evenings at Lincoln Center, enduring bus rides that can take up to 90 minutes one way. For over 40 years, Lois worked as a telephone operator, serving as an "opera switchboard" for fellow opera enthusiasts. She would glean the latest on cast changes, replacements, and cancellations directly from performers and insiders after performances.

Retiring and the Joy of Music

Lois retired in 2004 and subsists on a small pension, having never married. Her lifelong passion remains the arts. In 1980, she won a lottery to witness Beverly Sills's farewell performance at the New York City Opera, having seen the legendary soprano in every role she performed in New York except one over the previous 25 years. Sills smiled upon seeing her after the performance, an event that would have surely been incomplete without Lois's presence.

The Thrill of the Finest Performances

Despite not being a millionaire, Lois finds ways to experience world-class opera at the Metropolitan Opera. While the cheapest seats at the renowned venue can cost up to $20, Lois has developed a knack for materializing in the fifth balcony through spare tickets. And while the stage may appear small even with binoculars, Lois's nearsightedness from birth does not hinder her enjoyment. In recent years, her hearing has also declined, but she can still experience the music—and the acoustics are better at the top.

A Legend at the Opera

Among performers and opera aficionados, the saying goes that no opera star has truly made it in New York until they have performed for Lois Kirshenbaum. With no shortage of talent gracing the stages of New York opera, Lois looks forward to many more years of enjoying the art form, as long as age and health permit.