Black Opera Singer Series 3:Todd Duncan

My Notes:
One of the task of early Black opera singers were to help open the doors for upcoming African American performers. Todd Duncan spent his entire life working for this cause. If you would like to view more videos,type his name in the internal search box.Enjoy

Todd Duncan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biography
Todd Duncan was born in Danville, Kentucky in 1903. He obtained his musical training at Butler University in Indianapolis with a B.A. in music followed by an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College.
Career
In 1933, Duncan debuted in Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana at the Mecca Temple in New York with the Aeolian Opera, a black opera company.
Duncan was George Gershwin's personal choice as the first performer of the role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess in 1935 and played the role more than 1,800 times. He led the cast during the Washington run of Porgy and Bess at the National Theatre in 1936, to protest the theatre's policy of segregation. Duncan stated that he "would never play in a theater which barred him from purchasing tickets to certain seats because of his race." Eventually management would give into the demands and allow for the first integrated performance at National Theatre. Duncan was also the first performer for the role of Stephen Kumalo in Kurt Weill's Lost in the Stars.

Anne Brown as Bess with Todd Duncan as Porgy in 1942.
Duncan taught voice at Howard University in Washington, D.C. for more than fifty years. While teaching at Howard, he continued touring as a soloist with pianists William Duncan Allen and George Malloy.[2] He had a very successful career as a concert singer with over 2,000 performances in 56 countries. He retired from Howard and opened his own voice studio teaching privately and giving periodic recitals.
In 1945, he became the first African American to sing with a major opera company, and the first black person to sing in an opera with an otherwise white cast, when he performed the role of Tonio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci with the New York City Opera. In the same year he sang the role of Escamillo, the bullfighter, in Bizet's Carmen. In 1955, Duncan was the first to record Unchained Melody, a popular song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. The recording was made for the soundtrack of the obscure prison film Unchained, in which Duncan also played a minor character. Following Duncan's version, the song went on to become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.

In his final interview, Todd Duncan spoke of his love for spirituals: "... spirituals are so deep inside of me, it's difficult for me to find words that are meaningful. Spirituals are a part of whatever I am. When I sing them my being sings them, not my throat.... It is very difficult for me to put into words something that is at the bottom of my very being."
In addition to singing, Duncan was also a voice teacher. Among his notable pupils was operatic bass Philip Booth who was a mainstay at the Metropolitan Opera for two decades.

Honors and death
In 1978, the Washington Performing Arts Society presented his 75th birthday gala. Duncan was awarded the George Peabody Medal of Music from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University in 1984. Other awards he received include a medal of honor from Haiti, an NAACP award, the Donaldson Award, the New York Drama Critics' Award for Lost in the Stars, and honorary doctorates from Valparaiso University and Butler University.
Duncan was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
He died of a heart ailment at his home in Washington, D.C., in 1998.

An Additional Bio:
Todd Duncan, 95; Sang Porgy and Helped Desegregate Opera
By ALLAN KOZINN
Published: March 2, 1998
Todd Duncan, the baritone who created the role of Porgy in Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bess'' and was the first black singer to join the New York City Opera, died on Saturday at his home in Washington. He was 95.
Mr. Duncan, whose stage credits beyond Porgy include the Lord's General in Vernon Duke's ''Cabin in the Sky'' and Stephen Kumalo in the first production of Kurt Weill's ''Lost in the Stars,'' was known for his elegant phrasing and burnished tone, as well as his dramatic persuasiveness. Those qualities won him his debut role at the New York City Opera in 1945, when he sang Tonio in a production of Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci.''
Although he had appeared in New York with black opera companies, starting with a 1934 production of Mascagni's ''Cavalleria Rusticana,'' with the Aeolian Opera, his City Opera debut made him the first black singer to perform opera with a white cast. That debut occurred 10 years before Marian Anderson made her celebrated debut at the Metropolitan Opera. By then he had also appeared at City Opera as Escamillo in Bizet's ''Carmen'' and in the title role of Verdi's ''Rigoletto.''
Mr. Duncan was also a much sought-after recitalist, and often said that recitals interested him more than opera and the theater. In a career that lasted 25 years, he sang 2,000 recitals in 56 countries. He also appeared in two films, ''Syncopation'' in 1942 and ''Unchained'' in 1955.

Todd Duncan, 1903-1998: He Opened Doors for Other Black Classical Singers

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I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Rich Kleinfeldt with the VOA Special English program PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
Today we tell the story of Todd Duncan -- a concert singer and music teacher. He is the man who broke a major color barrier for black singers of classical music.
It is 1945. The place is New York City. The New York City Opera Company just finished performing the Italian opera "Pagliacci."
Todd Duncan is on the stage. He had just become the first African American man to sing with this important American opera company. No one was sure how he would be received. But the people in the theater offered loud, warm approval of his performance.
Duncan did not sing a part written for a black man. Instead, he played a part traditionally sung by a white man. All the other singers in the New York City Opera Company production were white.
His historic performance took place ten years before black singer Marian Anderson performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Todd Duncan opened doors for other black musicians when he appeared in "Pagliacci." Until that night, black singers of classical music had almost no chance of performing in major American opera houses and theaters. Many African American classical singers of today say they still do not have an equal chance to perform. But Todd Duncan began a major change in classical musical performance in the United States.
Todd Duncan lived a very long life. He was 95 years old when he died in March, 1998 in Washington, D.C. He taught singing until the end of his life.
Robert Todd Duncan was born in 1903 in the southern city of Danville, Kentucky. His mother, Nettie Cooper Duncan, was his first music teacher.
As a young adult, he continued his music studies in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended both a university and a special music college in this middle western city.
In 1930, he completed more musical education at Columbia University in New York City. Then he moved to Washington. For 15 years, he taught music at Howard University in Washington.
African Americans had gained worldwide fame for their work in popular music -- especially for creating jazz. But not many black musicians were known for writing or performing classical music.
Teaching at Howard gave Duncan the chance to share his knowledge of classical European music with a mainly black student population. He taught special ways to present the music. These special ways became known as the Duncan Technique.


Here Todd Duncan sings "O Tixo, Tixo, Help Me" from the opera "Lost in the Stars" composed by Kurt Weill.
In addition to teaching, Duncan sang in several operas with performers who all were black. But it seemed he always would be known mainly as a concert artist. Duncan sang at least 5,000 and concerts in 50 countries during twenty-five years as a performer.
However, his life took a different turn in the middle 1930s. At that time, the famous American music writer George Gershwin was looking for someone to play a leading part in his new work, "Porgy and Bess."
Gershwin had heard 100 baritones attempt the part. He did not want any of them. Then, the music critic of the New York Times newspaper suggested Todd Duncan.
Duncan almost decided not to try for the part. But he changed his mind. He sang a piece from an Italian opera for Gershwin. He had sung only a few minutes when Gershwin offered him the part. But Duncan was not sure that playing Porgy would be right for him.
Years later, he admitted that he had no idea that George Gershwin was such a successful composer. And, he thought Gershwin wrote only popular music. Duncan almost always had sung classical works, by composers such as Brahms and Schumann.
Todd Duncan said he would have to hear "Porgy and Bess." He did. Then he accepted the part of Porgy. But he said he found it difficult to perform because Porgy has a bad leg and cannot walk. He spends most of the opera on his knees.
Duncan used his special methods to get enough breath to produce beautiful sound. He was able to do this even in the difficult positions demanded by the part.
Here Todd Duncan sings "Porgy's Lament" from the Gershwin opera, "Porgy and Bess."
Todd Duncan sang in the opening production of "Porgy and Bess" in 1935. Then he appeared again as Porgy in 1937 and 1942. He often commented on the fact that he was best known for a part he played for only three years.
His fame as Porgy helped him get the part in "Pagliacci" with the New York City Opera Company. He also sang other parts with the opera company.
Earlier, you heard him sing a song from one of the operas he enjoyed most. The part was that of Stephen Khumalo in "Lost in the Stars." It was a musical version of the famous novel about Africa, "Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton.
American writer Maxwell Anderson wrote the words for the music by German composer Kurt Weill. Listen as Todd Duncan sings the title song from "Lost in the Stars."
Todd Duncan gained fame as an opera singer and concert artist. But his greatest love in music was teaching. When he stopped teaching at Howard, he continued giving singing lessons in his Washington home until the week before his death.




He taught hundreds of students over the years. Some musicians say they always can recognize students of Todd Duncan. They say people he taught demonstrate his special methods of singing.
Donald Boothman is a singer and singing teacher from the eastern state of Massachusetts. He began studying with Todd Duncan in the 1950s.
Boothman was twenty-two years old at the time. He was a member of the official singing group of the United States Air Force. He had studied music in college. But he studied with Duncan to improve his singing.
Boothman continued weekly lessons with Duncan for 13 years. After that, he would return to Duncan each time he accepted a new musical project.


He says he considered Duncan his teacher for a lifetime. Many other students say they felt that way, too.
Todd Duncan was proud of his students. He was proud of his performances of classical music. And, he was proud of being the first African-American to break the color barrier in a major opera house.
He noted in a V-O-A broadcast in 1990 that blacks are singing in opera houses all over America. "I am happy," he said, "that I was the first one to open the door -- to let everyone know we could all do it."
(MUSIC: "Oh, Lord, I'm on My Way" from "Porgy and Bess")
This Special English program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Rich Kleinfeldt. Listen again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.


Todd Duncan, Anne Brown " Bess, You is My Woman" Original Porgy and Bess (1940)




Todd Duncan sings 'You must be new born again'




Todd Duncan - Lost in the Stars (Original Broadway Cast)




Todd Duncan, Anne Brown " Bess, You is My Woman" Original P

Black History Month: In Honor of Black Opera Stars and Composers

In honor of Black History Month we have chosen to highlight several African American Opera stars and composers. Most started singing and performing in the church prior to moving to the opera stage. Listed below is a short review of several internationally known opera stars and composers. However, the list is not complete, so we apologize if we did not list your favorite opera star or performer. Just use the comment section and tell us why they should have been listed. Most of the material was taken from Wikipedia and other biographical websites.


Marian Anderson


This Little Light of Mine | Program |




Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993)[1] was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. Music critic Alan Blyth said "Her voice was a rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty." Most of her singing career was spent performing in concert and recital in major music venues and with famous orchestras throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965. Although offered roles with many important European opera companies, Anderson declined, as she had no training in acting. She preferred to perform in concert and recital only. She did, however, perform opera arias within her concerts and recitals. She made many recordings that reflected her broad performance repertoire of everything from concert literature to lieder to opera to traditional American songs and spirituals.




Roland Hayes

Roland Hayes (June 3, 1887 – January 1, 1977) was an American lyric tenor. He is considered the first African-American male concert artist to receive wide acclaim both at home and internationally. Critics lauded his abilities and linguistic skills with songs in French, German and Italian.
Hayes was born in Curryville, Georgia, near Calhoun, on June 3, 1887, to Fanny and William Hayes. Roland’s parents were tenant farmers on the plantation where his mother had once been a slave. Roland’s father, who was his first music teacher, often took him hunting and taught him to appreciate the musical sounds of nature. When Hayes was eleven his father died, and his mother moved the family to Chattanooga, Tennessee. William Hayes claimed to have some Cherokee ancestry, while his maternal great-grandfather, Aba Ougi (also known as Charles) was a chieftain from Côte d'Ivoire. Aba Ougi was captured and shipped to America in 1790.[1] At Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Curryville (Founded by Roland’s mother[2]) is where Roland first heard the music he would cherish forever, Negro Spirituals. It was Roland’s job to learn new spirituals from the elders and teach them to the congregation.

At the age of twelve Roland discovered a recording of the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. Hearing the renowned tenor revealed a world of European classical music. Hayes trained with Arthur Calhoun, an organist and choir director, in Chattanooga. Roland began studying music at Fisk University in Nashville in 1905 although he only had a 6th grade education. Hayes’s mother thought he was wasting money because she believed that African-Americans could not make a living from singing.[citation needed] As a student he began publicly performing, touring with the Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1911. He furthered his studies in Boston with Arthur Hubbard, who agreed to give him lessons only if Hayes came to his house instead of his studio. He did not want Roland to embarrass him by appearing at his studio with his white students. During his period studying with Hubbard he worked as a messenger for the Hancock Life Insurance Company to support himself.


Paul Leroy Robeson

Paul Leroy Robeson (/ˈroʊbsən/ ROHB-sən April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an African-American singer and actor who became involved with the Civil Rights Movement. At Rutgers University, he was an outstanding football player, then had an international career in singing, as well as acting in theater and movies. He became politically involved in response to the Spanish Civil War, fascism, and social injustices. His advocacy of anti-imperialism, affiliation with communism, and his criticism of the US government caused him to be blacklisted during McCarthyism. Ill health forced him into retirement from his career. He remained an advocate of the unpopular political stances he took until his death.




Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones

Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones (January 5, 1868 or 1869 - June 24, 1933) made her New York City debut on April 5, 1888 at Steinway Hall and was the first black singer to perform at Musical Hall (now known as Carnegie Hall) in 1892.


Soprano Kathleen Battle

Soprano Kathleen Battle (born August 13, 1948) established herself as a sought-after recitalist after making her concert debut in Spoleto, Italy in 1972. Battle performed in recital, concert & opera throughout the 1980's & 1990's, appearing in 150+ performances at the Met, including the premiere of Handel's GIULIO CESARE. Battle has won 3 Grammys for her solo albums as well as a Laurence Olivier Award & an Emmy, & was named the "best lyric coloratura in the world" by TIME Magazine in 1985.



Soprano Leontyne Price

Soprano Leontyne Price (February 10, 1927) is a recipient of myriad awards, incl. the Nat'l Medal of Arts (1985), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964) & 19 Grammys. Price has also had many 1sts as a black opera singer: she was the 1st black singer to perform w/the Met (but not at it) after singing in a "Met Jamboree" fundraiser (1953), the 1st to sing opera on TV w/the NBC Opera Theatre (1955), & the 1st to receive the Met's top fee, commensura


Soprano Jessye Norman

Soprano Jessye Norman made her debut in Wagner's TANNHAUSER at Deutsche Oper Berlin (1969). Norman debuted at the Met as Cassandra & Didon in Berlioz's LES TROYENS (1983) & performed in the Met's 1st mountings of Schoenberg's ERWARTUNG (1989) & Janacek's THE MAKROPULOS CASE (1996). She has won Kennedy Ctr Honors, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award & 2 Nat'l Medals of the Arts, curated HONOR!, a festival celebrating the black cultural legacy, & founded the Jessye Norman School of the Arts.




Soprano Camilla Williams

Soprano Camilla Williams (1919-2012) was the 1st black singer to receive a regular contract w/a major Amer. opera co. (NYCO, 1946), was the 1st to record Bess for a nearly-complete version of PORGY AND BESS (1951), was the 1st black singer in a major role at the Vienna State Opera (1954), sang the national anthem preceding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech (1963) & received the Nat'l Opera Association's 1st "Lift Every Voice" Legacy Award honoring the contributions of Afr. Amer. to opera.




Mezzo Barbara Smith Conrad

Mezzo Barbara Smith Conrad is best known for a 1957 controversy: an aspiring singer, Conrad was cast as Purcell's Dido opposite a white student playing Aeneas in a UT Austin production. This decision sparked a controversy that reached TX state legislature, which successfully pressured UT's president to remove Conrad from the cast. Despite this, Conrad remained at & graduated from UT Austin, had a successful operatic career & co-founded the Wagner Theater Program at the Manhattan School of Music.


Maestro Willie Anthony Waters

Maestro Willie Anthony Waters is one of few black conductors to see success worldwide. Waters has lead the orchestra at opera companies including the Australian Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, NYCO, Cape Town Opera, Fort Worth Opera, San Diego Opera & more. Waters served as General & Artistic Director of the Connecticut Opera (1999-2009), was Music Director & Principal Conductor of the Florida Grand Opera (1986-95) & is also the Artistic Director at the Hoston Ebony Opera Guild (1995-present).




Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves

Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves (born 1964) made her Met debut in 1995, & performed at the 2nd inauguration of George W. Bush (2005), during the Washington Nat'l Cathedral memorial service for victims of 9/11 (2001), at the state funeral for Gerald Ford (2007) & at the "Concert for Hope" to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 (2011). Graves also performed in her own TV special in 2003 & sang in WERTHER with Andrea Bocelli for the 1st internet broadcast of an opera in its entirety in 1999.




Composer Anthony Davis

Composer Anthony Davis (born February 20, 1951) is best known for his four operas: X (THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X) premiered by New York City Opera in 1986, AMISTAD (Lyric Opera of Chicago, 1997), WAKONDA'S DREAM (Opera Omaha, 2007) and LILITH (UC San Diego, 2009). Davis also wrote the incidental music for the Broadway version of Kushner's ANGELS IN AMERICA, and is currently a professor of music at the University of California in San Diego.





Baritone Ben Holt

Baritone Ben Holt (1955 - May 8, 1990) created the title role in the world premiere of Davis' X (THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X) at New York City Opera in 1985. Holt attended Oberlin Conservatory, made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 1981 and sang at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera (1985-86). Holt's life was cut tragically short by Hodgkin's disease in 1990.



Bass-baritone Simon Estes

Bass-baritone Simon Estes (born 1938) was the 1st black male to sing a lead at the Bayreuth Festival when he appeared in the title role of Wagner's DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER (1978). Estes made his professional debut as Ramfis in AIDA at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (1965) & his Met debut in 1982 as Hermann in Wagner's TANNHAUSER. He was the 1st singer to portray Porgy at the Met (1985) & sang Wotan in the inauguration of the legendary Schenk RING Cycle (1986).



Baritone Gregg Baker

Baritone Gregg Baker made his operatic debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1985. Known for his portrayal of Crown in PORGY AND BESS, Baker has sung the role multiple times, including at the Met, Opera Pacific and Radio City Music Hall. Baker was nominated for a Grammy as well as a Laurence Olivier Award, and continues to perform around the world.



Soprano Harolyn Blackwell

Soprano Harolyn Blackwell (born 1955) began her career on Broadway in the revival of WEST SIDE STORY, for which she was hand-picked by Bernstein to play Francisca (1980). After singing with the Lyric Opera of Chicago's young artist program & winning the National Council Auditions in 1983, Blackwell transitioned to opera, making her Met debut as Poussette in MANON (1987). Blackwell recorded the role of Clara in Glyndebourne's Grammy-winning PORGY AND BESS (1989) & sang at the 1990 Grammys.




Mezzo-soprano Isola Jones

Mezzo-soprano Isola Jones (born December 27, 1949) sang over 500 performances at the Metropolitan Opera; more than twice that of any black singer before her. Jones debuted at the Met in 1977 as Olga in Tchaikovsky's EUGENE ONEGIN, and stayed with the company for sixteen seasons. The title role of DeMars' opera GUADALUPE, OUR LADY OF THE ROSES was written for Jones, and the recording was nominated in four categories for the 2010 Grammy Awards.



Baritone Donnie Ray Albert

Baritone Donnie Ray Albert (born 1950) made his debut in TREEMONISHA with the Houston Grand Opera (1975), returning to the company in 1976 to sing Porgy opposite Clamma Dale's Bess in the acclaimed production of PORGY AND BESS that was transported to Broadway & won a Grammy Award. Albert then went on to debut in New York as Jake in LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST with NYCO, & continued to perform across the US with regional opera companies before embarking on the European tour of PORGY AND BESS in 1988.


Mezzo Florence Quivar

Mezzo Florence Quivar (born 1944) made her recital debut in Philadelphia, won the Baltimore Lyric Opera Competition & a Marion Anderson Award, & sang Serena in the Cleveland Orchestra's Grammy-winning recording of PORGY AND BESS in 1976. She made her operatic debut at Tanglewood in the premiere of Sessions' WHEN LILACS LAST IN THE DOORYARD BLOOM'D & debuted at the Met in 1977, where she performed 101 times. Quivar also premiered the role of The Goddess in the Waters in Davis' AMISTAD (1999).


Soprano Clamma Dale

Soprano Clamma Dale (born 1948) is known for her portrayal of Bess in the 1976 Houston Grand Opera PORGY AND BESS, which was transferred to Broadway, & which won Dale a Drama Desk Award & Tony nomination. Dale made her opera debut as St. Teresa I in Thomson's FOUR SAINTS IN THREE ACTS in a production mounted by the Met (1973), & spent much of her early career performing with NYCO. Dale sang in the premiere of Duffy's TIME FOR REMEMBRANCE (1991), commemorating the Pearl Harbor attack.






Maestro Calvin E. Simmons

Simmons was born in San Francisco, California,1950. At the age of 9, Simmons entered the Bay Area's musical scene and began living his dream of becoming a world-class musician. He had been taught the piano from an early age by his mother, Matty. By the age of 11, he was conducting the San Francisco Boys Chorus, started by Madi Bacon, of which he had been a member. Madi gave him the early artistic freedom to assist with the chorus that would serve him and others for years.

After working as assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, Simmons became musical director of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra at age 28; he led the orchestra for four years. He continued to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic, both at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and at the Hollywood Bowl. He would be supporting Carmen McRae singing jazz one night, and then conducting William Walton or Holst's The Planets a night or two later. He was the first African-American to be named conductor of a major U.S. symphony orchestra and a frequent guest conductor with some of the nation's major opera companies and orchestras (e.g. the Philadelphia Orchestra and others). In addition, he was the Music Director at the Ojai Music Festival in 1978.

He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera conducting Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, returning the following year. He was active at the Glyndebourne Festival in England. He collaborated with the British director Jonathan Miller on a celebrated production of Mozart's Così fan tutte at the Opera Theater of St. Louis (USA) shortly before his death. He remained active at the San Francisco Opera all his adult life, supporting intendant Kurt Herbert Adler, first as a repetiteur and then as a member of the conducting staff. He made his formal debut conducting Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème with Ileana Cotrubas. His later work on a production of Dmitri Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District drew national attention.

His final concerts were three performances of the Requiem of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the summer of 1982 with the Masterworks Chorale and the Midsummer Mozart Festival Orchestra.





Soprano Leona Mitchell

Soprano Leona Mitchell (born October 13, 1949) is best known for singing Bess in the first complete stereo recording of Gershwin's PORGY AND BESS (1975), which earned Mitchell a Grammy Award. After making her operatic debut as Micaela in Bizet's CARMEN with the San Francisco Opera, she reprised the role for her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1975. Mitchell has sung for four US presidents and numerous world dignitaries, including Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and Bishop Desmond Tutu.



Baritone Thomas Carey

Baritone Thomas Carey (December 29, 1931 - January 23, 2002) is best known for creating the role of Mel in the 1970 world premiere of Tippett's THE KNOT GARDEN at Covent Garden, as well as for his portrayal of Absalom in the German premiere of Weill's LOST IN THE STARS. A professor of music at the University of Oklahoma, Carey co-founded the Cimarron Circuit Opera Company with his wife, contralto Carol Brice.




Soprano Barbara Hendricks

Soprano Barbara Hendricks made both her US & European debuts in 1974, 1st at Glyndebourne & then with San Francisco Opera. Hendricks sang Liu in TURANDOT at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China (1998) & created Angel in Eotvos' operatic treatment of Kushner's ANGELS IN AMERICA (2004). Hendricks was named a UN High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador in 1987 & founded the Barbara Hendricks Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation (1998).



Soprano Martina Arroyo

Soprano Martina Arroyo (born 1937) sang for 13 seasons in 199 performances at the Met from 1965-1978. Arroyo made her debut in Pizzetti's MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL at Carnegie Hall (1958) & was the 1st black singer ever to portray Elsa in Wagner's LOHENGRIN (1968). A recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors Award & an OPERA NEWS Award (both 2010), Arroyo was appointed by President Ford to the National Council of the Arts & founded the Martina Arroyo Foundation.



Soprano Dorothy Maynor

Soprano Dorothy Maynor (September 3, 1910 - February 19, 1996), an acclaimed recitalist, founded the Harlem School of the Arts in 1964 and was the first African American on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Opera (1975). During her tenure at the Harlem School of the Arts, Maynor grew enrollment from 20 students to 1,000 students before retiring in 1989.




Maestro Henry Lewis

Maestro Henry Lewis (1932-96) started as a double-bassist with the LA Philharmonic at age 16, & was the 1st black instrumentalist in a major symphony orchestra. Lewis went on to found the LA Chamber Orchestra, was conductor & musical director of the NJ Symphony, establishing himself as the 1st black conductor to lead a major symphony orchestra & made his Met debut in 1972. Lewis was married to Marilyn Horne from 1960-79, & is noted by Horne as having a major influence on her early career.



Mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett

Mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett (May 31, 1931-November 5, 2010) originated the roles of both Didon & Cassandra in the Met premiere of Berlioz's LES TROYENS (1973) & sang Didon at the inauguration of Paris's Opera Bastille (1990). Verrett is outspoken about the prejudice she faced, detailing in her memoir I NEVER WALKED ALONE that a solo offer at Houston Symphony was rescinded because of her race. Verrett taught at the University of Michigan & was honored with an OPERA NEWS Award in 2010.



Baritone George Shirley

Baritone George Shirley (born April 18, 1934) won the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions in 1961, beginning an eleven-year association there and establishing him as the first black tenor to sing leading roles at the Met. Shirley was also the first black member of the United States Army Chorus. Shirley continues to perform and teach, currently at the University of Michigan, where he is a professor and acts as director of the voice program.


Soprano Reri Grist

Soprano Reri Grist (born February 29, 1932) enjoyed a major international career in opera after debuting as the Queen of the Night in DIE ZAUBERFLOTE with the Cologne Opera (1960). Grist sang with Zurich Opera, Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, Vienna State Opera (25 seasons), San Francisco Opera (12 seasons), Salzburg Festival (12 seasons), the Metropolitan Opera & De Nederlandse Opera. Grist also originated the role of Consuelo in WEST SIDE STORY (1957), introducing "Somewhere" into repertoire.


Mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry

Mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry (born January 4, 1937) was the first black singer to appear at Bayreuth when she portrayed Venus in TANNHAUSER, a debut that garnered approximately 42 curtain calls (1961). Following her debut, she was invited by Jacqueline Kennedy to sing at the White House, & continued to sing at celebrated opera houses around the world. Bumbry transitioned to singing soprano roles, but later returned to mezzo repertoire. In 2009, Bumbry was recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors.


Soprano Adele Addison

Soprano Adele Addison (born July 24, 1925) is best known as the singing voice of Bess, portrayed on-screen by Dorothy Dandridge, in the 1959 PORGY AND BESS film. Addison made her NYC recital debut in 1952 & debuted with NYCO as Mimi in LA BOHEME in 1955. Though offered operatic roles, Addison chose to perform primarily in recital & concert, & developed a collaborative relationship with Leonard Bernstein, singing under him at the 1962 opening of Philharmonic Hall (now Avery Fisher Hall).




Soprano Gloria Davy

Soprano Gloria Davy (March 29, 1931 - November 28, 2012) was the first black artist to sing the role of Aida at the Metropolitan Opera (1958). Davy settled down in Europe in 1959, performing there extensively while still singing roles in the US, and returned to the States to teach at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music from 1984 - 1997.



Bass-baritone William Warfield

Bass-baritone William Warfield (1920 - 2002) toured for the US Dept. of State 6 times, more than any other US solo artist, & through this, met Leontyne Price, to whom he was married from 1952 - 1972. Warfield sang Porgy in the 1963 PORGY AND BESS recording & was cast as Joe in the 1951 SHOW BOAT film, performing & recording the latter role many times. Warfield taught at the Univ. of Illinois & later served as chairman of the voice department. Warfield taught at Northwestern until his death.


Baritone Robert McFerrin, Sr.

Baritone Robert McFerrin, Sr. (March 19, 1921 - November 24, 2006) was the 1st black singer to win the Met Opera Auditions of the Air (1953). McFerrin was also the 1st black male to sing at the Met, debuting as AIDA's Amonasro only weeks after Marian Anderson (1955). After singing Rigoletto, McFerrin became the 1st black singer to perform a title role at the Met (1956). McFerrin also sang Porgy, played by Sidney Poitier, for the 1959 PORGY AND BESS film, & was vocalist Bobby McFerrin's father.




Soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs

Soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs (born July 11, 1925) was the first black singer to perform at La Scala, making her debut in 1953 as Elvira in L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI. Though preceded at the Met by Marian Anderson in 1955, Dobbs was the first black singer to be offered a long-term contract by the Metropolitan Opera (1956). Like many of her peers, Dobbs refused to perform for segregated audiences.



Composer William Grant Still

Composer William Grant Still (May 11, 1895 – December 3, 1978) wrote 8 operas. Among many 1sts as an African-American composer, Still was the 1st to have an opera performed by a major company, TROUBLED ISLAND, performed by NYCO (1959), & the 1st to have an opera performed on nat'l TV when PBS premiered A BAYOU LEGEND (1981). Still's other operas are BLUE STEEL (1934), A SOUTHERN INTERLUDE (1942), COSTASO (1949), MOTA (1951), THE PILLAR (1955), MINETTE FONTAINE (1958) & HIGHWAY ONE, USA (1962).


Mezzo-soprano Betty Allen

Mezzo-soprano Betty Allen (March 17, 1927 - June 22, 2009) had a widely-successful
singing & teaching career. Allen's performing highlights incl. winning the Marian Anderson Award (1952), singing in the world premiere broadcast of Raphling's TIN PAN ALLEY (1954), & performing Queenie in NYCO's SHOW BOAT (1954). Betty Allen was the executive director & later president of the Harlem School of the Arts (1979) & was the 1st American to teach a masterclass at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory (1989).


Bass-baritone Lawrence Winters

Bass-baritone Lawrence Winters (1915 - 1965) began his career as Amonasro in the New York City Opera's production of AIDA in 1948, and performed with NYCO in many roles over the next seven years. Winters was also a principle baritone at the Royal
Swedish Opera (1950), Hamburg State Opera (1952) and Deutsche Oper Berlin (1957), and sang Porgy opposite Camilla Williams's Bess in the first nearly-complete recording of PORGY AND BESS (1951).



Soprano Muriel Burrell Smith

Soprano Muriel Burrell Smith (February 23, 1923 - September 13, 1985) is best known for creating the title role in Hammerstein's CARMEN JONES in 1943 as well as for her hit song, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" (1953). Smith performed in Marc Blitzstein's opera THE CRADLE WILL ROCK (1947-48), ghost-sang for actresses in many films, including Zsa-Zsa Gabor in MOULIN ROUGE (1952) & Juanita Hall in SOUTH PACIFIC (1958). She made her formal operatic debut in 1956 as Carmen at the Royal Opera House.



Contralto Carol Brice

Contralto Carol Brice (April 16, 1918 - February 15, 1985) was the 1st black recipient of the Walter Naumburg Award (1943). Brice performed in the operas OUANGA & REGINA & had a rich Broadway career, appearing in THE HOT MIKADO at the 1939 NY World's Fair, as Maude in the 1960 revival of FINIAN'S RAINBOW, as Catherine Creek in the 1971 premiere of THE GRASS HARP & as Maria in the 1976 revival of PORGY AND BESS. Brice founded the Cimarron Circuit Opera Co. with her husband, baritone Thomas Carey.





Baritone William Franklin

Baritone William Franklin (born 1906) was a leading figure in the Chicago music scene
and appeared as Amonastro alongside La Julia Rhea's Aida in the National Negro Opera Company's inaugural production of AIDA (1941).



Mary Cardwell Dawson

Mary Cardwell Dawson (February 14, 1894 - March 19, 1962) founded the National Negro Opera Company, the first black opera company in the US, in 1941. Inaugural members included La Julia Rhea, William Franklin, Minto Cato, Carol Brice, Robert McFerrin and Lillian Evanti. Dawson also founded the Cardwell School of Music in 1927 and served as President of the National Association of Negro Musicians from 1939 - 1941.