Norman, Jessye

Norman, Jessye
born Sept. 15, 1945, Augusta, Ga., U.S.

U.S. soprano.

She won the Munich International Music Competition in 1968 and debuted in Berlin as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser (1969). She appeared at La Scala, Milan, in 1972 and made recital debuts in London and New York City the next year. Having garnered extraordinary praise for years, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Les Troyens in 1983, confirming her reputation as perhaps the greatest soprano of her generation. An imposing stage presence with a vibrant and flexible voice, her operatic and concert repertoire encompasses an exceptionally wide range.

* * *

▪ American opera singer
born September 15, 1945, Augusta, Ga., U.S.
 
 American operatic soprano, one of the finest of her day, who also enjoyed a successful concert career.

      Norman was reared in a musical family. Both her mother and grandmother were pianists and her father sang in church, as did the young Jessye. She won a scholarship to Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she studied voice. She graduated in 1967 and received further training at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, and at the University of Michigan.

      After winning the Bavarian Radio Corp. International Music Competition in 1968, Norman made her operatic debut as Elisabeth in Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser in 1969 in Berlin. The beauty, range, and flexibility of Norman's vibrant soprano voice assured her further operatic engagements, the most notable being the title role in Aïda in productions in Berlin and at La Scala in Milan and the role of Cassandra in Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens (The Trojans; Covent Garden, 1972). In 1989 she appeared at the Metropolitan Opera for a historic performance of that company's first single-character production, Erwartung by Arnold Schoenberg.

      Norman also enjoyed success as a recitalist with her thorough scholarship and her ability to project drama through her voice. She toured throughout the 1970s, giving recitals of works by Franz Schubert, Gustav Mahler, Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Erik Satie, Olivier Messiaen, and several contemporary American composers. By the mid-1980s she was one of the most popular and highly regarded dramatic soprano singers in the world. She produced numerous award-winning recordings, and many of her performances were televised.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Norman,Jessye — Norman, Jessye. Born 1945. American operatic soprano acclaimed for her versatility and diverse repertoire. * * * …   Universalium

  • Norman, Jessye — (n. 15 sep. 1945, Augusta, Ga., EE.UU.). Soprano estadounidense. En 1968 ganó el Concurso internacional de música de Munich y en 1969 debutó en Berlín, en el papel de Elisabeth en Tannhäuser. En 1972 se presentó en el teatro de la Scala de Milán… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Norman — (Jessye) (née en 1945) cantatrice américaine, soprano au répertoire très vaste …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Jessye Norman — This article is about the American opera singer. For the British politician, see Jesse Norman. Jessye Norman (born September 15, 1945) is an American opera singer.[1] Norman is a well known contemporary opera singer and recitalist, and is one of… …   Wikipedia

  • Jessye Norman — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Norman. Jessye Norman Naissance 15 septembre 1945 Augusta …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Norman — /nawr meuhn/, n. 1. a member of that branch of the Northmen or Scandinavians who in the 10th century conquered Normandy. 2. Also called Norman French. one of the mixed Scandinavian and French people who inhabited Normandy and conquered England in …   Universalium

  • Norman — (as used in expressions) Bethune, (Henry) Norman Borlaug, Norman (Ernest) Bowen, Norman L(evi) Steven Norman Carlton Chamberlain, Wilt(on Norman) Lear, Norman (Milton) Mailer, Norman Manley, Michael (Norman) Norman, Greg(ory John) Norman, Jessye… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Jessye Norman — (* 15. September 1945 in Augusta, Georgia, USA) ist eine weltbekannte Sopranistin, die eine der herausragenden Stimmen des 20. Jahrhunderts besitzt. In ihrem überaus großen und vielseitigen Repertoire bilden unter anderem Opern und Lieder der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jessye Norman — (Augusta, Georgia, 15 de septiembre de 1945) es una soprano afroamericana estadounidense. Entre las más admiradas cantantes líricas de su generación, continua la tradición iniciada por otras cantantes afroamericanas como Marian Anderson, Leontyne …   Wikipedia Español

  • Norman (name) — Norman is a both surname and a given name. The surname has multiple origins including English, Irish (in Ulster), Scottish and Dutch, Swedish and Ashkenazi Jewish and Jewish American. The given name Norman is mostly of English origin, though in… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”