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With Jessye Norman performing at the Clinton
inauguration, Kathleen Battle appearing as the Vatican's Easter Mass
soloist, and Simon Estes singing Wotan at New York's Metropolitan
Opera, contemporary audiences may take for granted the prominence
of African-American singers in opera. Yet it was just 50 years ago
that Marian Anderson was barred from Washington's Constitution Hall,
and black opera performers have trod a stony path to reach the pinnacle
of today's success. Framed by archival clips and new musical sequences,
AÏDA'S BROTHERS AND SISTERS: BLACK VOICES IN OPERA tells the
story of African Americans in opera from the time of the legendary
Paul Robeson.
Featured in interviews are Barbara Hendricks, Grace Bumbry, Simon
Estes, Robert McFerrin (the first black baritone to perform at the
Met) and his son Bobby McFerrin, Shirley Verrett, and many others,
as well as insights from opera company directors and orchestra conductors.
An introduction to African-American pioneers in opera; the life and
legacy of Marian Anderson; and an interview with soprano Shirley Verrett
about her career and the struggles of black artists who succeeded
in the world of opera.
Click here to explore the Web companion for
this program, which originally aired on February 16, 2000.
Top banner photos: Paul Robeson;
Barbara Hendricks; Grace Bumbry.
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Simon Estes as Woldemar. |
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Marian Anderson's historic concert at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939. |
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