Feb 26, 2019

Black History Month 2019: OperaWire’s Staff On Their Favorite Black Opera Artists

It’s Black History Month and a time to celebrate the achievements of the black community and how they have affected change around the world in all areas.

The opera world is no exception with many great black artists dominating around the globe in the biggest theaters there are. In celebration, some of OperaWire’s staff members have picked their favorite black singers in the history of opera and shared why they love each individual’s artistry.

Sophia Lambton – Jessye Norman

An artist of towering vocal proportions, Jessye Norman is among few in the list of opera greats; a singer who could never let reliance on her instrument’s unweatherable magnitude impair an intellectual need to incarnate a character. With the capacity to both amplify and harness her colossal soprano according to the music’s requirements, Norman can precede a carefully sustained cylindrical, tunnel-shaped sound with a pervasive, radiant crescendo that will rattle the proverbial chandelier. Her use of vibrato is not presentational and ostentatious, as it is in a great deal of her colleagues – but emotionally unrestrained expulsions of euphoria or feral outbursts of despair. It is often said of opera singers that emotionality emerges from an instinct – yet the finest in their number know that this is not the case. “Instinct” only grasps its freedom once a close attention to a mass of countless markings in the score – expression, tempo and dynamics – has been paid. Norman can meld these two components to create a voice as heavenly as it is natural, so that when it blends with the most mystical and sometimes eerie of composers – especially Wagner or Strauss – the ear embraces an uncanny hybrid miracle. Suddenly the thick veneer that shields the mystery of innovative genius, entwined inevitably with unvanquishable madness, snaps – and we are granted, albeit ephemerally, a glance into a caliber of creativity long since become extinct.

Polina Lyapustina – George Shirley

I know there’s a lot of bright operatic stars today, but I wanted to say a few words about George Shirley. I really like the way he balanced the lighter repertoire with the heavier parts: from Haydn and Mozart, through Verismo to Stravinsky, singing under the baton of the Maestro himself. Let’s not forget all his “first.” Shirley became the first Black member of the United States Army Chorus; he was also the first African American hired to teach music in Detroit high schools and he was the first Black singer to win the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions scholarship competition. He was also the first African-American tenor to perform a leading role at the Met. But what I appreciate the most is his current activity for educating young singers. At 84 years old today, he still supports competitions and does masterclasses for the young generation, remaining active and spreading his passion for opera.

Chris Ruel – Mark S. Doss

I had the honor of connecting with Mr. Doss late last year for an OperaWire interview. The bass-baritone’s story of growing up in urban Cleveland, finding his way to the stage and, eventually, winning a Grammy is thoroughly inspiring. Below is the video in which Doss performs—in recital format—“Nulla! Silenzio!” from Puccini’s “Il tabarro.” The singer’s raw emotion and intense vocal interpretation of the distraught, raging Michele is mind-blowing. Whether he’s playing a signature role such as Escamillo or performing concert works, Mr. Doss’ Olympian voice, his potent presence, his range of repertoire, and his compelling personal story make him an absolute favorite.

David Salazar – Leontyne Price

Is there a more incredible vocal artist than Leontyne Price in the United States’ opera history?

She broke barriers because she was such an amazing artist with an incredible voice that is as iconic as any other. Listen to any recording from her and you are immediately struck by the intensity of her singing. Unlike other singers that have an ever-present vibrato, hers is a just another color in a varied vocal palette.

Personally, there are few singers that match her in the operas of Verdi. She has impeccable breadth of line in these operas, with a precise dramatic weight to everything she does. Her “Aida” is undeniably incredible, but for my money, her Leonora in “Il Trovatore” is easily one of the finest interpretations, particularly the performance released by the Met Opera. The way she approached the “Ascolta” that preceded “Tacea la Notte” was simply sublime, a mezza di voce that expresses wonder and caution all in one. Listening to Price take on the aria is to feel the innate structure of the piece – with its incredible dolce opening phrases crescendoing steadily until she unleashes her voice in the aria’s B melody. There is a sense of expansiveness and yet propulsive qualities in the aria that show us Leonora’s rapture. Throughout there is a sense of brightness in the singing, colored by glorious and exquisite portamenti. This is but one aria but take a listen to any recorded selection by Price and you will find this incredible array of expressivity and artistry in every single note.

Lois Silverstein – Martina Arroyo

When Martina Arroyo filled in for Birgitt Nilsson after a last minute cancellation in 1965, she took a significant step toward her Met debut as Elisabetta in Verdi’s “Don Carlo.” It took some doing, however. Her teachers “threatened” they would not teach her any longer, if she continued to treat her singing as a hobby. She spoke back, however: But “opera isn’t a real possibility; the Metropolitan Opera had NEVER [my emphasis] cast a black singer.” NEVER!! It was “a real wake-up call,” Arroyo said. “I must have been treating singing as a … lark—something I “just loved”, instead of taking it seriously. Along with the break-throughs of Verrett and Bumbry and Price, Arroyo began to trod the boards with her own sumptuous voice.

Today, Black History Month helps us celebrate how racism and near-sighted vision can be overcome as well as ignorance. May we all celebrate our rich diversity every day.

Black History Month 2019: OperaWire’s Staff On Their Favorite Black Opera Artists

Sophia Lambton – Jessye Norman

Polina Lyapustina – George Shirley

Chris Ruel – Mark S. Doss

David Salazar – Leontyne Price

Lois Silverstein – Martina Arroyo

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