Willie Anthony Waters has died at the age of 74.

Born in 1951 in Miami, Florida, Willie Anthony Waters studied at the University of Miami and Memphis State University.

He went on to make his conducting debut 1979 when he conducted the Utah Symphony. From there, Waters made a career in opera and broke glass ceilings becoming the first African American to serve as artistic director of a major U.S. opera company. He first worked as Artistic Administrator of the San Francisco Opera before going to serve as Music Director and Principal conductor of the Florida Grand Opera from 1986 to 1995.

Then in 1995, Waters began serving as Conductor and Artistic Director of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, and from 1999 to 2009, he was General and Artistic Director of the Connecticut Opera.

Waters also performed as a guest conductor at numerous opera companies including the Australian Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, New York City Opera, Cape Town Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and San Diego Opera. He also conducted several important orchestras including the Brucknerhaus Orchestra (Linz, Austria), Detroit Symphony, Essen Philharmonic (Germany), Florida Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, and Spoleto Festival.

For his achievements music Waters received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hartford, the Prix de Martell, which recognizes champions of classical music, and the National Opera Association’s “Lift Every Voice” Legacy Award.