Sylvia Olden Lee
Sylvia Olden Lee | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 29 1917 Meridian, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | April 10 2004 Philadelphia, PA |
| Genres | European Classical Music, Negro Spirituals |
| Occupation(s) | Vocal coach, accompanist |
| Associated acts | Metropolitan Opera |
Sylvia Olden Lee (June 29, 1917 – April 10, 2004) was an American vocal coach and accompanist. She was the first African-American to be employed by the Metropolitan Opera. Her fields of expertise were European classical music and Negro spirituals.
Biography[]
Lee was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Her father, James Clarence Olden, was a member of the Fisk Quartet, which included Roland Hayes. She studied piano and organ at Howard University and Oberlin Conservatory.
Among the highlights of her career:
- She was invited to play at the White House for the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933).
- In 1942, she toured with Paul Robeson.
- In 1954, after being hired as vocal coach for the Metropolitan Opera, she was the impetus for the historic invitation to African-American contralto Marian Anderson to perform in Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.
- In 1956, she began studies with famed German tenor Gerhard Huesch.
Lee taught at a number of universities, including the Curtis Institute of Music.
Lee's brother was the prominent African-American graphic designer Georg Olden. In 2017, Lee was commemorated in a concert at Carnegie Hall, sponsored by the Foundation for the Revival of Classical Culture. [1]
References[]
- ^ "Tribute to Sylvia OIden Lee". Carnegie Hall. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
Further reading[]
- Sylvia Olden Lee & Elizabeth Nash. The Memoirs of Sylvia Olden Lee: Premier African-American Vocal Coach. Edwin Mellen Press, 2001.
External links[]
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| General | |
| National libraries | |
| Other | |
- 1917 births
- 2004 deaths
- African-American musicians
- Howard University alumni
- Oberlin College alumni
- American vocal coaches
- 20th-century American musicians