Page 49 - 2020 Classical Singer Magazine January Summer Program Issue

“Only pigeons are comfortable in pigeonholes.” Her photographer Carol Friedman spoke of losing Norman and stated simply, “Grief is the price of love.”
Narratives about how much she will be missed and how she was loved included a time in high school when her music teacher recognized Norman’s potential. She wanted
to take young Norman to her rst competition in Philadelphia, but the family didn’t have the money to send her. The school decided to ask the students of Lucy C. Laney High School to give up their lunch money for a week to help Norman get a bus ticket to Philadelphia.
The students did as they were asked, and Norman was able to travel to the audition. She did not win,
but her teacher arranged for her to audition for Howard University. The faculty there o ered her a full-tuition
scholarship, and she entered at age 16 and graduated cum laude in 1967.
Norman’s rise to international fame as a woman of color amidst
the American civil rights movement gave her power to herald history
by honoring her roots in African American spirituals and gospel music.
Norman worked with the board of advisors for Carnegie Hall in 2009 to create a month-long series of concerts and panel discussions admirably titled “Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy, Curated by Jessye Norman.” Clive Gillinson, the executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall, shared an anecdote about his idea for this concert series and his innate sense that Norman was the woman who could make
it happen because “she really did belong to the whole world, and every aspect of what she did mattered as
an artist and as a human being.” He described eating lunch with her and nding himself too nervous to ask for her help until the end of the meal. Gillinson recalled that Norman broke into a huge smile and exclaimed, “This is the project I have been waiting for my entire life.”
In closing, I want to personally thank Norman for her recordings that propelled my love for German Lieder as an undergraduate music major and for the unforgettable evenings listening to her sing onstage at the Metropolitan Opera when
I was a young artist living in New York City. Her legacy will live on in generations of singers and artists that follow her life of amazing grace.
Christi Amonson’s bio can be found on page 79.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
For Singers and Pianists In Residence in
Florence
Italy
June 29 - July 25, 2020
Immerse yourself in the Bel Canto style of singing passed down through the generations, studying with people who perform it, teach it,
and coach it at the leading Opera Houses of the world.
For all ages and levels.
Visit our website to view program details, faculty, short video
www.BelCantoInst.org
www.csmusic.net 49