Chester Ludgin was a native of Brooklyn, New York. He made his professional debut in 1956 with The Experimental Opera Theatre of America, as Baron Scarpia in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, conducted by Renato Cellini and directed by Armando Agnini. The very next year, he first appeared with the New York City Opera, as Dr Falke in Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, opposite Phyllis Curtin. With the City Opera, Ludgin was heard in many roles, including what was perhaps his greatest success, John Proctor in the world premiere of Robert Ward's The Crucible. He was also in the premieres of Robert Kurka's The Good Soldier Švejk, Norman Dello Joio's The Triumph of St. Joan, and Abraham Ellstein's The Golem for that company. He was applauded there, as well, for his portrayal of Horace Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe. Ludgin was also a favorite at the San Francisco Opera from 1962 to 1985, making his debut with the company as Zurga in Georges Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles with Lee Venora as Leila and Richard Verreau as Nadir. On October 28, 1967 he portrayed the Presiding officer in the United States premiere of Gunther Schuller's The Visitation with Simon Estes and Jeanette Scovotti. On November 6, 1976 he sang the role of Lyman Ward in the world premiere of Andrew Imbrie's Angle of Repose. His last appearance at the SFO was as the Earl of Gloucester in Aribert Reimann's Lear on September 27, 1985 with Thomas Stewart in the title role. Ludgin's other roles with the SFO included Amonasro in Aida, Barnaba in La Gioconda, Baron Jaroslav Prus in The Makropoulos Case, Boris Timofeyevich Ismailov in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Dikoy in Káťa Kabanová, Don Fernando in Fidelio, Friedrich von Telramund in Lohengrin, Fritz Kothner in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, the Grand Inquisiteur in Don Carlos, Iago in Otello, Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West, John Proctor to the Elizabeth Proctor of Frances Bible, Krushina in The Bartered Bride, Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, the Music Master in Ariadne auf Naxos, Rodrigo in Lulu, Scarpia, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Valentine in Faust, Von Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier and the title roles in Boris Godunov, Macbeth, and Rigoletto. In 1982, Ludgin appeared at Carnegie Hall, in a concert version of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, with Galina Vishnevskaya and Nicolai Gedda. In 1983, the singing-actor capped his career with the last of his twelve world premieres, as Old Sam in Leonard Bernstein's A Quiet Place. The production was seen in Houston, Milan, Washington DC and Vienna, where the composer conducted his work. At the age of seventy-eight, the beloved baritone succumbed to cancer, in New York City.
