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Mary Violet Leontyne Price (/ l i ˈ ɒ n t iː n, ˈ l iː ə n t iː n / lee-ON-teen, LEE-ən-teen; born February 10, 1927) is an American spinto soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim.
Apr 2, 2014 · Soprano Leontyne Price is widely regarded as the first African American to gain international acclaim as a professional opera singer.
Jun 10, 2024 · Leontyne Price, American lyric soprano, the first African American singer to achieve an international reputation in opera. She was one of the Metropolitan Opera’s leading regular sopranos, notably appearing in Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, and Aida. Learn more about Price’s life and career.
Leontyne Price Biography. Born: February 10, 1927. Laurel, Mississippi. African American opera singer. Leontyne Price was a prima donna soprano (the lead female singer in an opera) and considered in most many circles as one of the finest opera singers of the twentieth century.
Metropolitan Opera audiences began an extraordinary love affair with American soprano Leontyne Price immediately upon her debut on January 27, 1961. She was by then an internationally heralded singer and an experienced, refined musician and artist.
There are very few singers with voices that are as instantly recognizable, and revered, as the rich, creamy lyric soprano of Leontyne Price. She continues to be a powerful advocate not only for the art she loves, but for human rights. Born in Laurel, Mississippi in 1927, Price played the piano early on and soon began to sing at church and school.
Price achieved one of the greatest artistic victories of her career on January 27, 1961, when she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore. This performance ignited a 42-minute ovation, one of the longest in the Met's history.
