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Leontyne Price | |
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_by_Jack_Mitchell.jpg) A 1981 portrait of Price by Jack Mitchell | |
| Born | Mary Violet Leontyne Price February 10, 1927 Laurel, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | Central State University (BA) Juilliard School |
| Occupation | Operatic spinto soprano |
| Years active | 1952–1997 |
| Organizations | Metropolitan Opera |
| Known for | Operas of Verdi, particularly Aida |
| Spouse | William Warfield |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | |
Mary Violet Leontyne Price (/liˈɒntiːn, ˈliːəntiːn/ lee-ON-teen, LEE-ən-teen; born February 10, 1927) is an American spinto soprano who was the first African-American soprano to receive international acclaim.[1] From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera. She regularly appeared at the world's major opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and La Scala; at La Scala, she was also the first African American to sing a leading role.[2] She was particularly renowned for her performances of the title role in Giuseppe Verdi's Aida.[1]
Born in Laurel, Mississippi, Price attended Central State University and then the Juilliard School (graduating cum laude), where she had her operatic debut as Mistress Ford in Verdi's Falstaff. Having heard the performance, Virgil Thomson engaged her in Four Saints in Three Acts, prior to embarking on her debut tour; she also starred (alongside her husband William Warfield) in a successful revival of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Numerous concert performances followed, including a recital at the Library of Congress with composer Samuel Barber on piano. Her 1955 televised performance of Puccini's Tosca, plus appearances at the San Francisco Opera as Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites and Aida, brought her to international attention. She went on to sing at many of the world's major opera houses with Aida, before her successful debut at the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in 1961, as Leonora in Verdi's Il trovatore. Continuing her career there, she starred in a multitude of operas for 20 years, securing her place among the leading performers of the century. One of these works was Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, which she starred in for its world premiere. She made her farewell opera performance at the Met in 1985 in Aida.[3]
A lirico spinto (Italian for "pushed lyric") soprano, her musical interpretations were subtle but often overshadowed her acting.[3] She was noted for her roles in operas by Mozart and Puccini, as well as playing Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare and Poppea in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. However, the "middle period" operas of Verdi remain her greatest triumph; Aida, the Leonoras of Il trovatore and La forza del destino, as well as Amelia in Un ballo in maschera. Her performances in these works, as well as Mozart and Puccini's operas, survive in her many recordings.
After her retirement from opera, Price continued to appear in recitals and orchestral concerts until 1997. After that, she would come out of retirement to sing at special events, including a memorial concert at Carnegie Hall, in 2001 for victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Among her many honors and awards are the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, in addition to her 13 Grammy Awards.[4][2]
- ^ a b Oxford African American Studies Center 2006.
- ^ a b WQXR-FM 2018.
- ^ a b Blyth 2009.
- ^ "Leontyne Price". www.grammy.com. Recording Academy. Retrieved March 21, 2023.