The Bardavon’s stage has welcomed world-class talent for more than a century — from the opening of the Collingwood Opera House in 1869 through its rebirth as the Bardavon and into its life today as a vibrant performing-arts center. Actors, musicians, dancers, orators and cultural icons — from Sarah Bernhardt, John Philip Sousa and Isadora Duncan to Frank Sinatra, Joan Baez, Patti LuPone and Rufus Wainwright — have all graced this house, making it a living chronicle of American performance history.
Browse the lists below to discover the remarkable range of artists who have filled these halls and shaped the Bardavon’s legacy; each name tells a story of the theater’s enduring role as a cultural gathering place for the Hudson Valley and beyond.
The Collingwood Opera House opened for its inaugural performance on February 1, 1869.
In 1923, the theater was renovated and reopened with a new name – the Bardavon – after the original Bard of Avon, William Shakespeare.
In 1976, the not-for-profit group Bardavon 1869 Opera House was formed and the theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.