Wondrous Wednesday
Mary Violet Leontyne Price, internationally-heralded lyric soprano, was born on February 10, 1927 in Laurel, Mississippi. She was an only child. Her father James worked in a lumber mill and her mother Katie was a midwife. She received formal vocal and musical training from a young age and was designated as the school pianist for her high school’s concerts and performances. Price entered Central State University (which was Wilberforce College in Ohio when she attended), intending to become a music teacher. Professors, the college president and veteran performer, Paul Robeson, recognized her unique instrument and talent and encouraged her to pursue a professional music career. After she earned her bachelor’s degree, Price won a full scholarship to attend Julliard School in New York. She made her professional debut in 1952, as Bess in Porgy and Bess, a role that marked her presence in the hearts and minds of music fans. In 1954, Price made her recital debut at the New York’s Town Hall. Ultimately, the Metropolitan Opera offered her a permanent position.
During Price’s career, she won 15 Grammys. She performed before heads of state, royalty and was the only opera singer to appear on the list of “remarkable American women: 1776 – 1976,” published by Life Magazine. President Johnson awarded her with the Medal of Freedom in 1964. Two years later, Price was the first Black to open a Metropolitan Opera season and to perform the title role at the opening. In the 1950s and 60s Price sang many major works in opera houses throughout the US and Europe. In the fall of 1977, Price sang her last new role, though she continued to perform concerts and recitals. Price officially retired in November 1997 at University of North Carolina, but she came out of retirement one time, in October 2001, to sing in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Jessie Carney Smith, Black Firsts: 2,000 Years of Extraordinary Achievement (1994)
Charles Christian, Black Saga: The African American Experience (1995)