Frank, Benno D.

Born in Mannheim, Germany, Benno Frank (1908-1980) lived and worked in Germany, pre-World War II Palestine, and the United States. In the early 1930s, he directed the Schiller Opera at the Hamburg State Theater. Frank immigrated to Palestine and lived there from 1933 to 1938. While in Palestine, he served as general manager and director of Palestine Opera Company. Moving to the United States in 1938, Dr. Frank assumed positions in New York at the American League for Opera and the New York College of Music before moving to Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts. Frank served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945, after which he was Chief of Theatre and Music for the United States military government in Germany until 1948. In that year, Frank became Director of the Cleveland Playhouse and Director of Musical Productions at Karamu House. He served in these positions until 1968, when he became Consultant on the Arts of the Atlanta University Center Corporation. Frank settled permanently in Israel in the early 1970s. His career was distinguished by his willingness to cooperate internationally and across cultures. In 1960, the German government recognized Frank with the Officer's Cross for the Order of Merit for his work in re-establishing German theaters after World War II.