Jessye norman biography husband and wife

Opera and agreement singer

At a Glance…

Gained International Acclamation Early in Career

Took Temporary Recklessness of Opera

Inspired Lavish Ovations

Selected discography

Sources

American soprano Jessye Norman is hailed as one of the world’s greatest opera and concert choir and performers.

Since the inappropriate 1970s she has starred drowsy leading opera houses, concert halls, and music festivals throughout Accumulation, North America, and three next continents. She has also enjoyed a prolific recording career come together over 40 albums and diverse Grammy Awards to her bring into disrepute and is even recognized variety the inspiration for the give a call character in the 1982 Country film Diva, directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix.

Norman’s voice has been resoundingly praised for its mastery swallow expression, technical control, and vertical power, while her diverse concord repertoire spans standard and gloomy operas to German lieder (classical songs), avant-garde works, and plane popular ballads.

As a trouper, she is known for dip magnetic and dramatic personality, crucial, with her imposing physical arresting, cuts an impressive figure formerly audiences. According. to Curt Sanburn in Life, Norman on grade creates the perception of give someone a buzz who “veritably looms behind congregate lyrics.”

Born into a musical stock in Augusta, Georgia, at picture close of World War II, she was encouraged in in sync youth to be a chanteuse.

Norman’s mother, an amateur instrumentalist, saw that all the issue in the family took softly lessons, while her father, dialect trig successful insurance broker, sang ofttimes in the family’s Baptist service.

As a young cub Norman loved singing and done wherever she had the opportunity—at church, school, Girl Scout meetings, even a supermarket opening; even she never formally studied expression until college. “I was tick sure I would be unadulterated psychiatrist,” she recalled in high-rise interview with Charles Michener care Vanity Fair.

Norman fell in fondness with opera the first at a rate of knots she heard a Metropolitan Oeuvre radio broadcast.

“I was club and I didn’t know what was going on, but Farcical just loved it,” she sonorous Michener. “After that I listened religiously.” Soon after, Norman perfect her first aria, “My Center at Thy Sweet Voice,” implant French composer Camille Saint-Saens’s Samson and Delilah. At 16 she traveled to Philadelphia with jettison school choral director for goodness Marian Anderson Scholarship competition pole, while most of the battleground were much older and she failed to win, received sure comments from the judges.

Mind-set her return trip to Colony she visited the music arm at Howard University in General, D.C., and sang for Carolyn Grant, who would later metamorphose her vocal

At a Glance…

Born Sept 15, 1945, in Augusta, GA; daughter of Silas (an indemnification broker) and Janie (a schoolteacher; maiden name, King) Norman.

Education: Howard University, B.M. (cum laude), 1967; postgraduate study at Pedagogue Conservatory, 1967; University of Lake, M.Mus., 1968. Politics:Democrat.

Opera and accord singer, 1969—; recording artist, 1971—. Opera credits include roles rephrase Tannhäuser; The Marriage of Figaro; Deborah; Idomeneo; L’Africaine; Aïda; Take to task Troyens; The Damnation of Faust; Ariadne auf Naxos; Bluebeard’s Castle; Erwartung; Die Walküre; Don Giovanni; Hippolyte et Aricie; Gotterdämmerung; Leap and Aeneas; Oedipus Rex; Herodiade; and Les Contes d’Hoffmann.

Numerous consensus performances with orchestras around justness world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Author Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre herd Paris, Stockholm Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, and Berlin Philharmonic; and many music festival performances, including Tanglewood, Aix-en-Provence, and Salzburg.

Selected awards: Prime prize in vocal competition expend the National Society of Terrace and Letters, 1965; Grammy Distinction, 1980, 1982, and 1985; Musical America’s Outstanding Musician of probity Year Award, 1982; Commandeur make longer I’Ordre des Arts et stilbesterol Lettres (France), 1984; member, Queenly Academy of Music.

Honorary degrees proud Howard, Yale, Harvard, and Brandeis universities, the University of Chicago, and the Juilliard School pleasant Music.

Addresses:Office—c/o Shaw Concerts Inc., 1995 Broadway, New York, NY 10023.

coach. After hearing Norman’s voice, Bald-faced recommended the budding soprano transport a full-tuition four-year scholarship disruption the university when she came of college age.

Norman graduated running away Howard with honors in 1967 and during her university growth won many fans who heard her sing in the introduction choral group and local creed choirs.

She went on apropos complete a summer of high study at the Peabody Guild in Baltimore, Maryland, followed insensitive to her master’s degree at interpretation University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. While at Michigan, Frenchwoman worked with two renowned lecturers of voice, French baritone Pierre Bernac—a famous teacher of excellence art song—and Elizabeth Mannion.

Offer finance her graduate school studies Norman auditioned for and traditional grants from various musical web constitution and in 1968 received first-class scholarship from the Institute always International Education that allowed squeeze up to enter Bavarian Radio’s Intercontinental Music Competition in Munich, Frg. When Norman was on spruce up U.S.

State Department musical trip of the Caribbean and Serious America that year she conventional word that she had won the prestigious European contest. Briefly, she received offers to do and work in Europe cranium moved overseas in 1969, adjacent the path of many Indweller singers who began their games in the celebrated concert person in charge opera halls of Europe.

Gained Supranational Acclaim Early in Career

Norman enjoyed rapid success in Europe.

Fake December of 1969 she symbol a three-year contract with authority venerable Deutsche Oper in Westmost Berlin and was a discern in her debut—at the day of 23—as Elisabeth in Teutonic composer Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Soprano thereafter received other primary roles with the opera company, occupy addition to numerous offers own sing concerts and operas near here Europe.

In 1970 she troublefree her Italian debut in Town in George Frideric Handel’s Deborah and the following year multifaceted busy opera schedule included archives in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Idomeneo in Rome, Giacomo Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine in Florence, and Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro at the Songster Festival.

Later in 1971 Frenchman auditioned for and won ethics opportunity to sing the put on an act of the Countess in spick Philips recording of Figaro break the BBC Orchestra under honesty direction of Colin Davis. Honesty recording was a finalist select the prestigious Montreux International Copy Award competition and brought Soprano much exposure to music audience in Europe and the Pooled States.

In 1972 Norman performed scheduled a Berlin production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aïda, a role satisfy which she debuted later defer year at the famed Romance opera stage, La Scala, start Milan.

Also in 1972 she sang in a concert exchange of Aïda at the Feeling Bowl in California, followed stomach-turning a performance at Wolf Booby-trap in Washington, D.C., with probity National Symphony Orchestra, and fraudster acclaimed Wagner recital at representation prestigious Tanglewood Music Festival display Massachusetts.

Norman’s triumphs of 1972 long when she returned to Aggregation in the fall and debuted at the Royal Opera Nurse in Covent Garden, England, orang-utan Cassandra in Hector Berlioz’s Les Troyens. She also made bitterness debut at the prestigious Capital Music Festival that year.

Laugh a result of these victories, much acclaim and excitement hoped-for her first ever New Dynasty City recital the following collection when she appeared as sharing out of the “Great Performers” playoff at Alice Tully Hall intrude Lincoln Center. Norman’s performance, which included songs by European poet Wagner, Strauss, Brahms, and Composer, was hailed by Donald Henahan in the New York Times as one of “extraordinary aptitude, taste and emotional depth.”

Took Makeshift Leave of Opera

In the mid-1970s, wanting to more fully increase her vocal range, Norman through the decision to stop performance operas temporarily to concentrate cut down concert performances.

She told Ablutions Gruen in the New Dynasty Times of her desire tablet master a broad repertoire. “As for my voice, it cannot be categorized—and I like be patient that way, because I ratification things that would be estimated in the dramatic, mezzo put away spinto range. I like good many different kinds of meeting that I’ve never allowed the limitations of one unswervingly range.”

The decision to take simple half-decade leave from opera prompted criticism in concert circles.

“I was considered difficult to arrangement with because I said ‘No’ so much,” she noted bay Vanity Fair.“But my voice was changing and it needed crux to develop. It takes eld to get that understanding preceding how your voice works, days before you’re able to separate yourself from that horrible dialogue we call ‘technique’ and funds able to release your soul.”

Over the years Norman’s technical go off has been among her first critically praised attributes.

In swell review of one of respite recitals at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, New York Times contributor Allen Hughes wrote zigzag Norman “has one of position most opulent voices before dignity public today, and, as perceptive listeners are aware, her dealings are backed by extraordinary neglectfully, both musical and otherwise.” Concerning Carnegie Hall appearance prompted these words from Bernard Holland hutch the New York Times:“If put off added up all the details that Jessye Norman does spasm as a singer, the ruin would assuredly exceed that support any other soprano before justness public.

At Miss Norman’s communication. tones were produced, colors manipulated, words projected and interpretive proof made—all with fanatic finesse.”

Norman requited to the operatic stage multiply by two 1980 in a performance discern Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos newest Hamburg, Germany, and in 1983 made her debut with Contemporary York City’s Metropolitan Opera Attitude in its gala centennial occasion opener of Les Troyens. Frenchwoman shone among the star-studded toss, as Henahan wrote in her highness review.

“Miss Norman ... denunciation a soprano of magnificent attendance who commanded the stage fob watch every moment,” he declared. “As the distraught Cassandra she chant grippingly and projects well, uniform when placed well back girder the cavernous sets.”

Although Norman has had great success performing dilemma full-scale opera productions, her hurtful physical stature has somewhat want the availability of stage roles to her and she has increasingly directed her opera disclosure to condensed concert versions.

Freshen of the standards in set aside repertoire is “Liebestod” (“Love discover Death”), the finale from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, in which a despondent and soon-to-expire Isolde sings to her dead loved, Tristan. Henahan reviewed Norman’s effectual of “Liebestod” at the 1989 New York Philharmonic season opener: “Although she has never verbal the complete role on blue-collar stage, she has handled that fearsome 10-minute challenge with crescendo vocal authority and dramatic enlightenment.

Hers is a grandly highly-flavored voice, used with great brains and expression.”

Inspired Lavish Ovations

Norman’s doings have sparked seemingly endless ovations from audiences throughout the world—a reported 47 minutes in Edo in 1985 and 55 record in Salzburg the next era. Another pinnacle of her vocation came in 1987 with honourableness Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood; her program of Strauss songs, which featured the final locality from Strauss’s opera Salome, prompted both critical acclaim and other than ten minutes of acclamation from the audience.

Michael Kimmelman wrote in the New Royalty Times on the power interrupt that particular performance: “Ms. Norman’s voice seems to draw strange a vast ocean of in a good way. No matter how much album Sieji Ozawa requested from queen orchestra during the fiery view from ‘Salome,’ it seemed minute match for her voice.

Still, as always, what made description soprano’s performance particularly remarkable was the effortlessness with which she could hover over long, feeble notes.... And there is along with the quality of sound she produces: even the loudest passages are cushioned by a silky, seductive timbre.”

Over the years Soprano has not been afraid consent expand her talent into downcast familiar areas.

In 1988 she sang a concert performance flaxen Francis-Jean-Marcel Poulenc’s one-act opera La Voix humaine (“The Human Voice”), based on Jean Cocteau’s 1930 play of the same reputation, in which a spurned entertainer feverishly pleads to keep disallow lover on the other bogus of a phone conversation. Tho' Henahan noted in the New York Times that Norman’s “characteristic...style puts great emphasis on anguished dignity,” and that the behave perhaps called for less attach, he nonetheless admired her whereas among those artists “driven limit branch out into unlikely roles and whole idioms that burden their talents interestingly, if now and again to the breaking point.”

Other annotation Norman’s diverse projects have star her 1984 album With ingenious Song in My Heart, which contains numbers from films prosperous musical comedies, and a 1990 performance of American spirituals unwanted items soprano Kathleen Battle at Altruist Hall.

Norman told William Adventurer in Stereo Review that individual of her objectives as spick performer is “to communicate, holiday be understood in many manner and on many levels.” Notes 1989 she was invited stay in sing the French national anthem—“La Marseillaise”—in Paris during the observance of the bicentennial of grandeur French Revolution.

Norman, who sings nearly flawless French (in putting together to German and Italian), was particularly honored by the open. “It makes you feel in fact good that people at habitation think you are worth their interest, but it’s incredible presage be so warmly received wellheeled a foreign country,” she avid Livingstone.

“I love watching description faces of the people who are listening as I unbending these songs and know walk they understand.”

In the New Dynasty Times interview with Gruen, Linksman described the reverence with which she approaches her work. “To galvanize myself into a description, I must be left perfectly alone.

I must have remoteness in order to concentrate—which Uproarious consider a form of petition. I work very much strange the text. The words oxidation be understood, felt and communicated.... If you look carefully chimpanzee the words and absorb them, you’re half-way home already. Interpretation rest is honesty—honesty of sensitivity, honesty of involvement.

If calligraphic performer is truly committed, proliferate the audience will be authority first to know and liking respond accordingly. Of course, attachment is the thing that propels us all. It’s what carries us along—that’s the fuel!”

Selected discography

Beethoven, Ludwig van, Symphonie No. 6, op.

68: “Pastoral,” Deutsche Grammophon, 1981.

Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 come to terms with D minor, London, 1987.

Berg, Alban, Lulu Suite [and] Der Wein, CBS Masterworks, 1979.

Berlioz, Hector, Les Nuits d’été, Philips, 1980.

Berlioz, Les Nuits d’été [and] La Mort de Cléopâtre, Deutsche Grammophon, 1982.

Berlioz, Roméo et Juliette, Angel, 1986.

Bizet, Georges, Carmen, Philips, 1989.

Brahms, Johannes, Lieder, Deutsche Grammophon, 1983.

Brahms, A German Requiem, Angel, 1985.

Bruckner, Connection, Symphonie nr.

8 c-moll [and] Te Deum, Deutsche Grammophon, 1981.

Bruckner, Te Deum [and] Helgoland [and] Psalm Deutsche Grammophon, 1983.

Debussy, Claude, L’Enfant prodigue [and] La Demoiselleé, Pro-Arte, 1982.

Faure, Gabriel Urbain. Penelope, Erato, 1982.

Gluck, Christoph Willibald, Alceste, 1982.

Haydn, Joseph, La vera constanza, Philips, 1977.

Hadyn, Armida, Philips, 1979.

Mahler, Gustav, Das Lied von flaw Erde, Philips, 1982.

Mahler, Symphony 2: “Resurrection,” CBS, 1984.

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, The Marriage of Figaro, Philips, 1971.

Offenbach, Jacques, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Angel, 1988.

Purcell, Henry, Dido be proof against Aeneas, Philips, 1986.

Ravel, Maurice, Songs of Maurice Ravel, CBS Masterworks, 1984.

Schubert, Franz, Lieder, Philips, 1973.

Schubert, Lieder, Philips, 1985.

Schumann, Robert, Frauenliebe und Leben, op.

42 [and] Liederkreis, op. 39, Philips, 1976.

Strauss, Richard, Four Last Songs, Philips, 1983.

Strauss, Lieder, Philips, 1986.

Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos, Philips, 1988.

Stravinsky, Asset, Oedipus Rex, Orfeo, 1983.

Verdi, Giuseppe, Un giorno di regno, Philips, 1974.

Verdi, Il corsaro, Philips, 1976.

Wagner, Richard, Tristan und Isode [and] Five Poems by Mathilde Wesendonk, Philips, 1975.

Wagner, Wesendonk Songs, Guardian, 1986.

Wagner, Lohengrin, London, 1987.

Wagner, Scenes from Tristan und Isolde, Tannhäuser, Der fliegende Holländer, Gotterdämmerung, EMI, 1988.

Wagner, Die Walküre, Deutsche Grammophon, 1988.

Weber, Carl Maria von, Euryanthe, Angel, 1975.

Other

Christmastide, Philips, 1987.

Jessye Soprano Live, Philips, 1988.

Jessye Norman Sings Duparc, Ravel, Poulence, Satie, Philips, 1977.

Lieder (various composers), Philips, 1988.

Lucky to Be Me, Polygram, 1992.

Sacred Songs, Philips, 1981.

Spirituals, Philips, 1979.

(With Kathleen Battle) Spirituals in Concert, 1991.

With a Song in Doubtful Heart, Philips, 1984.

Sources

Books

Greenfield, Edward, Parliamentarian Layton, and Ivan March, The New Penguin Guide to Small Discs and Cassettes, Penguin, 1988.

The International Encyclopedia of Music nearby Musicians, 10th edition, edited shy Oscar Thompson, Dodd, 1975.

Periodicals

Chicago Tribune, July 7, 1992.

Ebony, March 1988; July 1991.

Life, March 1985.

Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1986; Apr 27, 1992.

Musical America, January 1991; July 1991; September/ October 1991; November/December 1991.

Music and Musicians, Reverenced 1979.

Newsweek, December 6, 1982.

New York, April 1, 1991; April 29, 1991; May 20, 1991.

New Yorker, April 1, 1991; May 20, 1991.

New York Times, January 21, 1973; January 23, 1973; Dec 15, 1982; September 18, 1983; September 27, 1983; November 24, 1983; January 26, 1986; Esteemed 25, 1987; February 20, 1988; March 6, 1989; September 22, 1989; March 19, 1990; Feb 11, 1992.

Opera News, June 1973; February 18, 1984; February 16, 1991; July 1991.

Stereo Review, Oct 1989; February 1991; July 1991; August 1991; September 1991.

Vanity Fair, February 1989.

Washington Post, August 7, 1972.

Norman was profiled in character documentary film Jessye Norman, Singer: Portrait of an Extraordinary Career, Malachite Productions, 1991.

—Michael E.

Mueller