Leontyne Price

Leontyne Price was born on February 10, 1927 in Laurel, Mississippi. Her father was a carpenter and mother was a midwife and a singer. Price first showed music interest at a young age and was trained at the age of five and sang in church.

After high school graduation school, she went to the College of Education and Industrial Arts in Wilberforce, Ohio. She focused on music education but was encouraged to switch to concentration to voice. Price went to New York City to attend Juilliard on a full scholarship. Florence Page Kimball was Price’s vocal instructor.

Price debut on Broadway in April 1952 as St. Cecilia in Four Saints in Three Acts. After doing this show, she was cast in Porgy and Bess. Price would play Bess for two years and amazed the audience with her vocal talent. While touring, Price would marry her co-star William Warfield who played Porgy.

In 1955, Price was in NBC Opera Theatre’s television show Tosca. Which then led her to many different opera television shows. But in 1957, she would make opera debut at the San Francisco Opera House. Price played Madame Lidoine in Poulenc’s Dialogues des carmelites[BA1] . Price was soon playing famous venues like Covent Garden in England and La Scala in Milan. Then she became an international star.

Her first performance in the states was at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House in 1961. She even performed at the Met. She continued to get iconic rolls like Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. Price became the first African American opera singer to reach international success in the opera world.

Her last performance was at the Met in the show Aida in 1985. The show was telecasted and became the most successful opera performances in the Met’s history. She was already awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon Johnson in September 1964. But 20 years later, she would receive the National Medal of Arts Recipient in 1985. She had many awards including more than a dozen Grammy Awards.

Price success was such at a strange time for African Americans but she managed to make it! All though, I personally don’t hear about black American opera singers, I have to believe she paved the way for all women of color who just wanted to sing!

The link beside is Price singing "Summertime" from the play Porgy and Bess.

[BA1]