Mary leontyne price biography
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Leontyne Price
(1927-)
Who Is Leontyne Price?
Renowned for her early stage and television work, Leontyne Price made her opera stage debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1957, and her debut at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House in 1961. One of the first African American singers to earn international acclaim in the field, Price became known for her roles in Il Trovatore, Antony and Cleopatra and Aida, before retiring from the opera in 1985.
Early Life and Influences
Mary Violet Leontyne Price was born on February 10, 1927, in Laurel, Mississippi, to James Anthony Price, a carpenter, and Kate Baker Price, a midwife with a beautiful singing voice. Price showed an interest in music from a young age and was encouraged by her parents. After beginning formal music training at age 5, she spent much of her time singing in the choir at St. Paul Methodist Church in her hometown.
Price found additional inspiration at age 9, when she traveled with her mother to Jackson, Missi
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Price, Mary Violet Leontyne
February 10, 1927
Born in Laurel, Mississippi, the soprano Leontyne Price came to be regarded as a prima donnaassoluta during her exceptionally long operatic career (1952–1985).
Price's parents had been involved in the musical life of Laurel and provided her with piano lessons from the age of four. Soon thereafter she joined her mother in the church choir and, after attending a recital by Marian Anderson in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1936, she resolved on a career in music. At that time African-American women could aspire in music only for roles in education, and it was with that major in mind that Price enrolled at huvud State College in Ohio. Before she graduated in 1949, however, her vocal talent was manifest and she was encouraged to enter the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied with Florence Kimball. As Mistress Ford in a school production of Verdi's Falstaff, she attracted the attention of American composer Virgil Thomson,
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Leontyne Price
Leontyne Price | |
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A 1981 portrait of Price by Jack Mitchell | |
| Born | Mary Violet Leontyne Price (1927-02-10) February 10, 1927 (age 97) Laurel, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | Central State University (BA) Julliard School |
| Occupation | Operatic spinto soprano |
| Years active | 1952-1997 |
| Organization | Metropolitan Opera |
| Known for | Operas of Verdi particulary Aida |
| Spouse | William Warfield |
Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an Americansoprano. She is particularly associated with Verdi roles, notably in the operas Il trovatore and Aida. She was one of the first black singers to enjoy an international career in opera.
Life and career
[change | change source]Price was born in Laurel, Mississippi. She studied at Central State College, Wilberforce, Ohio, and with Florence Kimball at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She began her professional career in 1952, when she appeared as Bess