Honorary Card Given to Tenor Charles Anthony
by John Diaz

On Saturday night, March 6, 2004, tenor Charles Anthony celebrated his fifty-year anniversary of singing at the Metropolitan Opera House. During the first intermission of Tosca, Charles Anthony was awarded a plaque by Joseph Volpe, general manger of the Metropolitan Opera. Charles Anthony, in his speech to a packed house of 4,500 people, thanked his angels in the outfield, the people behind the scenes who make it all happen, his friends the stagehands. For fifty years the crew has picked his spirit up when he was down. They would tell him to 'go get them, Charlie,' or 'great job Charlie,' after he sang his part.

Charlie remembers being a young singer and having a hard time at first, when a young stagehand named Steve Diaz would tell him to do your best, that's all we can ask. He has always remembered this and has always done his best.

I have known Charlie for 33 years now and have toured with him for ten years. He would always talk to the crew and would tell them all how much he loved their work. How hard they all worked for the company.

On Saturday March 6, 2004, Local One president Brother Ed McConway and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Brother John Diaz gave Charles Anthony an honorary card and a plaque, making Charles Anthony an honorary member of Local One on behalf of the Executive Board of Local One and its members.

The crew at the Metropolitan made Charlie an honorary member of the crew of the Met. The crew had many gifts for him, including a sword that Charlie used in one of his many shows, to a medal in the shape of the front of the house. Charlie put this medal on and wore it for the rest of that evening performance of Tosca.

There are not many people who know what we do backstage or in a TV studio. To hear a performer of fifty years tell the audiences that he wished to thank the people behind the scenes means a lot to these hard-working people and that their work is appreciated by our co-workers. Thank you, Charlie, for fifty years of beautiful music.