Friday, January 18, 2013

WashingtonLife.com: 'Performing Arts: Brunching with Jessye Norman' by Patrick D. McCoy


Washington Life Magazine

The Grammy award-winning soprano will be honored with a pre-inaugural brunch this weekend.
By

World-class opera singer Jessye Norman will be honored by the Washington Performing Arts Society on Saturday, January 19  at the Hay-Adams Hotel during an invitation only pre-inaugural brunch. The soprano is no stranger to Washington, D. C., having graduated from Howard University. Though she has enjoyed an international career of legendary repute, she has always maintained close ties to the area through her many performances and her work with the university. Attorney General will present Ms. Norman with WPAS’ Ambassador of the Arts Award, honoring her for her years of selfless service promoting the arts, arts education and culture throughout the world.

Singer and actress  will perform in Ms. Norman’s honor. , director of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, , and the Israeli and Mexican ambassadors will also be in attendance, among other noted guests. Prior to her arrival in the District, Norman will conduct a masterclass at Carnegie Hall in NYC as a part of the “The Song Continues” series.

A native of Augusta, Ga., Norman acquired an affinity for music from from her early experiences in the church, and became an opera fan from listening to the radio. Attending Howard on a full scholarship, she studied voice with . After graduating, Norman did further graduate study at the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Michigan, earning the Master of Music degree. Returning to the U. S. after enjoying numerous successes in Europe, Norman made her U. S. operatic début in 1982 with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, appearing in Stravinsky’s “Oedipus Rex” as Jocasta and in the title role of Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas.” Other notable house débuts include New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Milan’s famed La Scala. In 1997, she became the youngest recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor, and was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, presented by President , in 2010.

Beyond her singing, Ms. Norman has made extraordinary efforts to make sure that future generations are educated about the the joys of opera and classical music.  In 2009, she curated the Honor Festival, which celebrated the legacy of African American music both past and present. 

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