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Home , Harolyn Blackwell, Todd Duncan

BLACK WOMEN IN , LLC PRESENTS DC‘s Black Women in Opera: An Educational Recital Sunday, February 28, 2021 3:00 PM EST Livestreamed Event

Funded by the Awesome Foundation, DC Chapter and Ombaba Consulting MISSION

About B.W.I.O. SEEKS TO HIGHLIGHT THE PAST AND PRESENT ACHIEVEMENTS OF BLACK OPERA SINGERS. WE CREATE COMMUNITIES THAT UPLIFT ARTISTS THROUGHOUT THEIR Black Women in Opera JOURNEYS IN MUSIC. THROUGH THIS MISSION, WE EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THE VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF BLACK OPERA HISTORY AND ITS ARTISTS. Our Online Community

CLICK THE IMAGES TO VIEW OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY. Black Women in Opera The Divas DENYCE GRAVES MEZZO SOPRANO Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory Best Known for her portrayal of and Dalila from Samson et Dalila Recognized for her expressive and rich voice and spellbinding stage presence International Superstar Debut in 1995 as Carmen Lead Role in the debut of Margaret Garner by Toni Morrison and R. Danielpour Performed Maria in the Met’s revival of CHARLOTTE WESLEY HOLLOMAN

COLORATURA SOPRANO

Dunbar High School Columbia University Debut Classical Voice Recital in NYC February 25, 1954 Toured with Margaret Bonds and Todd Duncan Performed excerpts of Porgy and Bess for the Bermuda’s first interracial audience Received operatic distinction for playing both the Queen of the Night and the First Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute in the same production Continued to teach music to a new generation of singers LILLIAN EVANTI

LYRIC COLORATURA

Howard University Professioanl debut in Nice, France (1924) First African-American to perform for a major European opera company Came to DC often to perform at Belasco Theater for a desegregated audience Performed roles like Rosina in Rossini’s Barber of Seville and Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata Performed with the National Negro Opera Company Good-will ambassador for the State Department in the ‘40s and ‘50s MYRA MERRITT

SOPRANO

Peabody Conservatory of Music Catholic University Metropolitan Opera debut as the Shepherd in Tannhäuser (1982) Appeared in the DVD L’italiana in Algeri as Elvira (1996) Performed roles like Zerlina in , Antonia in Les Contes dˋHoffman, and Musetta in La Bohème Serviced her community by performing for the 1991 benefit with the Hines-Lee Ensemble Professor of Voice at Bowling State University HAROLYN BLACKWELL

LYRIC COLORATURA

Catholic University Hand selected by for Francisca in Participated in the Lyric Opera young artist program Known for Marie in La Fille du Régiment, Nannetta in , and Oscar in Metropolitan Opera debut as Poussette in Clara in the Grammy-award winning 1989 recording of Porgy and Bess Performed at the Vatican for Pope John Paul II‘s birthday Black Women in Opera The Legacy CHERIE DAVIS Soprano

RENEE OMBABA Soprano

SANDI LEWANIKA CHERIIE DAVIIS ”Ah! non credea...Ah! non giunge” La Sonnambula

Girl Robert Owens

Steal Away to Jesus arr. Ronald Carter P R

RENEE OMBABA O

”Porgi Amor” W.A. Mozart G Le Nozze di Figaro R Cassandra’s Lullaby Mark Fax A

Ride Up in The Chariot arr. Betty Jackson King M

SANDII LEWANIIKA Du bist die Ruh Franz Schubert

Dream Variation Margaret Bonds

Come By Here arr. Damien Sneed Church of the Redeemer, Presbyterian (USA) The Location CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER, PRESBYTERIIAN (USA)

The Church of the Redeemer, Presbyterian (USA) has the unique distinction of having been one of the few African- American communities of faith in the former Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination in Washington, DC. The Church was born during a time of tumulltuous race rellations in American history. The congregation was organized in October 1958 near the beginning of our country’’s civill rights movement. IIts first services were helld at the historic Anthony Bowen YMCA on Twellfth Street, NW. Later a site was acquired in the Brooklland section of Washington, D.C., at the corner of 15th and Girard Streets, N.E. After a period of great strugglle and commitment, a modern edifice was H constructed and dedicated in Aprill of 1962.

Redeemer has allways viewed invollvement in sociall issues and community outreach as an integrall part of its Christian mission. IIt therefore has been positioned at the cutting edge of sociall activism. IIn the 1960’’s the congregation I sponsored monthlly Community Forums on Sunday afternoons. The forums focused on sociall and polliticall issues of the S day, consistentlly drawing capacity crowds to the Church’’s Fellllowship Hallll. Stokelly Carmichaell, newsman Howard K. Smith, Benjamin E. Mays, and Arthur Ashe are but a few of the lluminaries who spoke at Redeemer during those earlly years. IIt was allso during this time that the congregation forged a strong alllliance with the Southern Christian T Leadership Conference. IIn fact, the church was a site for many of the meetings helld by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

and SCLC to pllan for the 1963 March on Washington and the 1968 Poor Peoplle’’s Campaign. The forums examined O issues such as the rellationship between African-Americans and Jews, statehood for the District of Collumbia, the then current state of race rellations, and the challllenge of serving the homelless. R The Church of the Redeemer has maintained its rich llegacy of Christian service through a variety of educationall programs for allll age llevells. For approximatelly 20 years, the Church sponsored an enrichment program for ellementary schooll chilldren from the community. The church had a partnership with Taft Junior High Schooll and provided Y schollarships, mentoring and tutoriall assistance to its students. Teenagers from the Church and the community enhanced their lleadership and oratoricall skilllls by participating in ZOLAS. Our youth pllaced first in nationall oratoricall contests and participated in annuall seminars for youth at the United Nations. Adullts provide and receive sociall and theollogicall commentaries at the Adullt Sunday Schooll cllass, expllore the llatest lliterary works at the Fannie Robinson Bllack Authors’’ Discussion Group and improve their professionall lleadership and speaking skilllls throughToastmasters IInternationall. These are but a few of the many educationall programs the Church of the Redeemer sponsors.

During any time of cellebration, it is fitting that we pay tribute to allll those who worked and strove to establlish and further the llife of this church. As we cellebrate millestones, llet us not forget to give honor and gllory to the One who made the many visions of Redeemer a reallity. We pray God’’s continued bllessings on the mission of this Branch of Zion. We llook back onlly to reallize that we can stillll “Push Forward”. Cherie Davis Sandi Lewanika Edmond Charles Awesome Foundation Kelvin Page William Jones Mwendaendi Lewanika Church of the Redeemer, Presbyterian (USA)

Thank You http://www.thegrand.com/black-history-month-graves-taylor/ https://www.metopera.org/discover/artists/mezzo-soprano/denyce-graves/ http://www.visionaryproject.org/hollomancharlotte/ https://www.whitehousehistory.org/lillian-evanti https://www.operntanz.com/2014/05/myra-merritt-african-american- soprano.html?m=1 https://aaregistry.org/story/harolyn-blackwell-born-2/ Church of the Redeemer Presbyterian (USA) Church Historian https://www.harolynblackwell.com/about

Sources Celebrating the past and present achievements of Black opera singers. Follow us!

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