Price recently celebrated her 91st birthday and can be seen in Susan Froemke's 2017 documentary The Opera House. She would eventually sing 201 performances at the Met in 16 productions, and has also been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Kennedy Center Honor, the National Medal of Arts and many more. In 1966, Price sang at the inaugural performance at the new Metropolitan Opera house at Lincoln Center, starring as Cleopatra in the world premiere of Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. She is best known for her operatic interpretations of operas by Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini, not to mention her proclivity for new works from composers such as Samuel Barber. in 1927, Price's career began as a student at The Juilliard School, where her performance as Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff in 1952 garnered her early acclaim. Perhaps no American opera singer in history, regardless of race, has achieved as much universal respect as soprano Leontyne Price. In 1978, Estes became the first Black male to sing a leading role at the Bayreuth Festival when he sang the title role in Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. At 79, Estes is currently a visiting Professor of Music at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Ankeny Campus. During the 1960 and 70s, Estes performed at prestigious European opera houses: La Scala, Hamburg State Opera, and Vienna State Opera to name a few. Simon Estesīorn in 1938, Estes began his operatic career as a bass-baritone in the 1960s, singing at numerous opera houses around the world and for various political figures and presidents - including Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela.
Williams died in 2012 leaving behind a decorated legacy. After retiring from opera, she was the first African-American appointed as Professor of Voice at Indiana University.
As a soloist, Williams toured throughout the United States, as well as in Asia and Australia. She was the first African-American to receive a regular contract with a major American opera company - the New York City Opera - as well as the first African-American to sing a major role with the Vienna State Opera. From Jesse Owens' historic achievements at the 1936 Summer Olympics to Bessie Coleman's accomplishment of becoming the first Black female pilot in 1922 - achievements by Black individuals throughout American history are abundant.īut what about the opera world? We've rounded up six (although there are plenty more!) opera singers who changed the landscape of the art! Camilla WilliamsĬamilla Williams was an American soprano who regularly performed around the world. February is the month of many things scrambling to find a decent gift for your significant other for Valentine's Day, praising the heavens for that three-day weekend for Presidents' Day and - of course - Black History Month.
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