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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 1 OcTOber 2019
Jessye Norman, international opera star, dead at 74

By MESFIN FEKADU Music and Georgia Music
NEW YORK (AP) — Jessye Hall of Fame. Norman even
Norman, the renowned has orchid named after her
international opera star in France, and the coun-
whose passionate soprano try also made her a Com-
voice won her four Gram- mander of the Order of Arts
my Awards, the National and Letters.
Medal of Arts and the Ken- She's earned 15 Grammy
nedy Center Honor, has nominations throughout
died, according to family her illustrious career, pick-
spokesperson Gwendolyn ing up her first at the 1985
Quinn. She was 74. show for best classical vo-
A statement released to cal soloist performance for
The Associated Press on "Ravel: Songs Of Maurice
Monday said Norman died Ravel." She earned Gram-
at 7:54 a.m. EDT from sep- my Lifetime Achievement
tic shock and multi-organ Award in 2006.
failure secondary to com- Norman also gave back,
plications of a spinal cord raising funds to help stu-
injury she suffered in 2015. dents attend school, cham-
She died at Mount Sinai St. pioning the arts in schools
Luke's Hospital in New York, and championing diversity.
and was surrounded by "I look at symphony or-
loved ones. chestras around this coun-
"We are so proud of Jessye's try and I want those or-
musical achievements and chestras to look more like
the inspiration that she pro- the demographic they're
vided to audiences around meant to serve. I would
the world that will continue like to see more African-
to be a source of joy. We Americans on the stage
are equally proud of her at the Metropolitan Opera
humanitarian endeavors here in New York. There
addressing matters such are certainly some, but
as hunger, homelessness, This July 4, 2010 file photo shows American opera singer Jessye Norman performing on the Stravin- not nearly enough, and I
youth development, and ski Hall stage at the 44th Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland. come across so many sing-
arts and culture educa- Associated Press ers who are terribly gifted
tion," the family statement and that would be an asset
read. They were wonderful com- gan. read. to these opera companies
Funeral arrangements will posers, but they went to Eventually she made her Former Georgia guberna- around our country. But we
be announced in the com- the great beyond a long operatic debut in 1969 in torial candidate Stacey still have these people who
ing days. time ago. There's lots of Berlin, wowing audiences Abrams said: "Farewell to are just a little bit hesitant,
Norman was a trailblazing music that will live for a very around the world on stages the beloved Jessye Nor- and perhaps not as open-
performer, and one of the long time." in Milan, London and New man, a woman of vision, hearted ... as I'd like them
rare black singers to attain In that same interview she York thanks to her shining adventure and joy. A glo- to be," she said. "I look for-
worldwide stardom in the profoundly said, "Pigeon- vocals, no matter the lan- rious voice and beautiful ward to the day when we
opera world, performing at holing is only interesting to guage. The New York Times soul has winged towards do not think about color
such revered houses like La pigeons." described her voice as "a Heaven. Her legacy lives on of skin when we're looking
Scala and the Metropoli- Norman certainly knew no grand mansion of sound.""It in music and the children to have a person do a job,
tan Opera, and singing title boundaries or limits. She defines an extraordinary who greet art in her name whatever that job is."
roles in works like "Carmen," broke barriers and had space. It has enormous di- each day." And Broadway The Jessye Norman School
''Aida" and more. She sang hoped her industry would mensions, reaching back- legend Audra McDonald of the Arts opened in 2003
the works of Wagner, but see more faces like hers. ward and upward. It opens wrote on Twitter, "UGH! in Augusta to provide a
was not limited to opera "It is a more diverse place, onto unexpected vistas. It Nooooooo! This is awful. I free fine arts education to
or classical music, perform- thank goodness," Norman contains sunlit rooms, nar- was literally supposed to disadvantaged children.
ing songs by Duke Ellington said of the opera world in row passageways, cavern- spend time with her next The Augusta Chronicle re-
and others as well. a 2004 interview with NPR, "I ous falls," the Times' Edward week. RIP most magnificent ported that Norman was
"I have always been drawn wish it were even more di- Rothstein wrote. amazing brilliant Diva." set to attend the Oct. 11
to things other people verse than it is." The Met Opera called Nor- In 1997, at age 52, Nor- street-naming ceremony
might consider unusual. I'm Norman was born on Sep- man "one of the great man became the young- in her hometown on Eighth
always taken by the text tember 15, 1945 in Augusta, sopranos of the past half- est person ever to earn the Street, where the school is
and beautiful melody. It's Georgia, in segregationist century" in a statement. Kennedy Center Honor in located. It will be named
not important to me who times. She grew up sing- "Starting with her Met debut the organization's 20-year Jessye Norman Boulevard.
has written it. It's just more ing in church and around as Cassandra in Berlioz's Les history at the time. She re- In 1990, Augusta opened
reasonable to have an a musical family that in- Troyens on Opening Night ceived her National Medal the Jessye Norman Amphi-
open mind about what cluded pianists and singers. of the Met's centennial of Arts from former Presi- theater to honor the opera
beauty is," Norman said in She earned a scholarship 1983-84 season, Norman dent Barack Obama and icon.
a 2002 interview with the to the historically black col- sang more than 80 perfor- has earned honorary doc- Norman released her mem-
Chicago Sun-Times. "It's im- lege Howard University in mances with the company, torates from a number of oir, "Stand Up Straight and
portant for classical musi- Washington, D.C., to study dazzling audiences with prestigious schools, includ- Sing!," in 2004.
cians to stretch and think music, and later studied at her beautiful tone, extraor- ing Juilliard, Harvard and She is survived by two re-
beyond the three B's (Bach, the Peabody Conservatory dinary power, and musical Yale. She is a member of maining siblings, James Nor-
Beethoven and Brahms). and the University of Michi- sensitivity," the statement British Royal Academy of man and Elaine Sturkey.q