Shirley Verrett as Eboli in Don Carlo

The American opera singer Shirley Verrett (born May 31 circa 1931) is a mezzo-soprano who has enjoyed great fame since the late 1960s, much admired for her radiant voice and great versatility. American opera singer Shirley Verrett as Eboli in Don Carlo Source: http://www. ... American opera singer Shirley Verrett as Eboli in Don Carlo Source: http://www. ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining, as the last day of May. ... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that...

Born into an African-American family of devout Seventh-day Adventists in New Orleans, Louisiana, Verrett showed early musical abilities, but initially a singing career was frowned upon by her family. Later Verrett went on to study in Los Angeles, California and at the Julliard School in New York. The Seventh-day Adventist Church, or SDA for short, is an evangelical Christian denomination that grew out of the prophetic Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the 19th century. ... City nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City that Care Forgot Location of New Orleans Country   State     Parish United States   Louisiana     Orleans Parish Mayor C. Ray Nagin Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 350. ... The Downtown Los Angeles skyline. ... The Juilliard School is a performing arts conservatory in New York City, informally but definitively identified as simply Juilliard, and most famous for its musically-trained alumni. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ...

In 1957, Verrett made Her operatic debut in Britten's Lucretia. In 1958, she made her New York City Opera as Irina in Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars. In 1959, she made her European debut in Cologne in Nabokov's Rasputins Tod. In 1962, she received critical acclaim for her Carmen in Spoleto, and repeated the role at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1963, the NY City Opera in 1964, and La Scala in 1966. In 1968, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1968, also with Carmen. Verrett first appeared at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1973. Verrett's roles included Dido, Leonora in La Favorita, Gluck's Orpheus, Amneris, and Selika in L'africaine. Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (November 22, 1913 – December 4, 1976) was a British composer, conductor and pianist. ... The New York City Opera (NYCO) is New York Citys second opera company (after the Metropolitan Opera). ... Kurt Weill, a photo taken in Salzburg, Austria, 1934 Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950), born in Dessau, Germany and died in New York, was a German composer active from the 1920s until his death. ... Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre is a theatre and theater company in Moscow, Russia, which gives performances of plays, ballet, and opera. ... La Scala The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala for short), in Milan, Italy, is one of the worlds most famous opera houses. ... The Metropolitan Opera is located at Lincoln Center in New York, New York. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Covent Garden is a shopping and entertainment complex in central London. ... Christoph Willibald Gluck (July 2, 1714 – November 15, 1787) was a German composer. ...

Beginning in the late 1970s she began to tackle soprano roles, including Tosca, Norma, Lady Macbeth, and Aida. In 1990, Verrett sang Dido Les Troyens at the inauguration of the Opera Bastille in Paris. Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In music, a soprano is a singer with a voice ranging approximately from the A below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C (i. ... Les Troyens is a French opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. ... The Opéra Bastille Opéra Bastille is a modern opera house in Paris, France. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...

In 2003, Verrett published a memoir, I Never Walked Alone (ISBN 0471209910) in which she spoke frankly about the racism she encountered as a black person in classical music world of the United States. When the conductor Leopold Stokowski invited her to sing with the Houston Symphony in the early 1960s, he had to rescind his invitation when the orchestra board refused to accept a black soloist. Stokowski later made amends by giving her a prestigious date with the much better known Philadelphia Orchestra. Leopold Stokowski Leopold Stokowski (April 18, 1882 - September 13, 1977) (born Antoni Stanisław Bolesławowicz) was the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the NBC Symphony Orchestra and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. ...

External link

• Shirley Verrett's website