July 20, 2018

The passing of Charles H. Parsons, the Wagner Society of Cincinnati’s Opera Authority, leaves behind a legacy of devotion to the arts. He studied music, literature, and fine arts at the University of Cincinnati. In the Spring of 1995 he was awarded an honorary Ph.D in Musicology from the Mellen University, Lampeter, Wales. While daily pursuing the duties of Librarian at the College of Law in Cincinnati, he still found time to produce The Mellen Opera Reference Index-a series of 24 volumes on many aspects of Opera-as well as writing for ARG, Opera News, Opera (London), and The Cincinnati Review of Politics and the Arts. For more than 20 years he lectured at Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and College of Continuing Education at the University. He loved travel, a remnant from his times living in London and Rome. He was also interested in languages, archaeology and art history, and was active in the Episcopal Church.

His vast expertise in opera and in particular the esoteric works of Richard Wagner will be greatly missed in our little community of Wagnerians. His wit was unbounded and his passion for the arts unrelenting. We love and will greatly miss our dear Charles.

~ James Slouffman

To read a Retrospective on the life and contributions Charles Parsons made to the Cincinatti Opera World, click here.