Angela M. Brown
(born 1964) is an African-American dramatic soprano particularly admired for her portrayal of Verdi heroines.
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Early life and Education
Angela Brown was born in 1964 in
Indianapolis,
Indiana. Her mother, Freddie Mae Brown, was a painter, and her father, Walter Clyde Brown, was an autoworker at a
Chrysler plant in Indianapolis for 41 years.
[1] Along with older brother George and younger brother Aaron, Brown was raised in a deeply spiritual Baptist household. Her grandfather was a
Baptist minister in the city and Brown started singing at his church when she was 5 years old. Brown credits her musical experiences at church as instilling in her a love for singing.
[2]
As a teenager, Brown started performing in
R&B bands around Indianapolis and was highly active in the vocal music program at
Crispus Attucks High School. Her highschool choir director, Robert Fleck, taught Brown her first classical arias and entered her in several local music competitions, all of which Brown won. Brown also participated in her highschool's musicals, playing Adelaide in
Guys and Dolls
among other roles.
[3]
After highschool, Brown attended a community college in Indianapolis part time while working a day job as a dietary aide at a Methodist Hospital. She also acted in several musicals at the pro-am Civic Theater where she got to work with several notable performers including
Ginger Rogers. Brown also worked as a singing waitress for a time.
When Brown was 20, her younger brother died of a viral infection. Searching for answers, she became a
Seventh Day Adventist and decided she wanted to be a singing evangelist.
[4]
In the fall of 1986, at the age of 21, Brown enrolled at
Oakwood College with the intention of majoring in biblical studies. She studied music initially only as a minor but was eventually convinced by her voice teacher,
Ginger Beazley, that her real calling was to be an
opera singer. Brown switched her major to music and graduated with a bachelors degree in the Spring of 1991.
[5]
From 1992 to 1997, Brown continued her studies at the
Jacobs School of Music at
Indiana University with noted voice teacher
Virginia Zeani. Brown had worked frequently with Zeani while at Oakwood College, as Ginger Beazley took Brown and her other students up to IU to participate in Zeani's master classes.
[6]
While in graduate school, Brown began competing in several notable music competitions. In 1994 Brown tried out for the National Council Auditions of New York's
Metropolitan Opera. She made it as far as the regional finals but proceedd no further. She tried out two more years in a row, only to twice more be stopped at the regional level. She tried one more last time in 1997. "I had nothing to lose," she told the New York Times. Instead, she won everything, not only the regionals, but also the semi-finals and then the finals. The win bought her entry into the world of professional opera.
Brown has since gone on to win the 2000 Richard Tucker Career Grant, a 1998 Sullivan Foundation Grant, the 1998 G.B. Viotti Verdi Vocal Competition, and the 1998 Opera Carolina Competition.
Career
In 1997, Brown moved to
New York City and began performing in a steady stream of small roles with larger opera companies and larger roles with smaller opera companies over the next several years. She also appeared in concerts with good regional orchestras and gave many recitals.
In the 2000-2001 season, Brown performed with the
San Antonio Symphony,
Teatro La Fenice, as Serena in
Porgy and Bess
with
Opera Company of Philadelphia [7], and gave several recitals. She also began working for the
Metropolitan Opera as a cover artist for the title roles of
Verdi's
Aida
and
Strauss'
Ariadne auf Naxos
. This was followed by cover work for the company for the next three seasons.
[8]
In the 2001-2002 season, Brown appeared as the Fourth Maid in
Cincinnati Opera's production of
Strauss'
Elektra
.
[9]
In the 2002-2003 season, Brown performed at the
Kimmel Center with the
Philadelphia Orchestra for the September 11 Memorial Concert, return trips to the
Metropolitan Opera to cover the roles of Aida and Ariadne, covering Leonora in
Il Trovatore
for
San Francisco Opera, performances of
Richard Strauss’
Four Last Songs
with the
El Paso Symphony and
Muncie Symphony Orchestras, and
Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony
with
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
[10]
In the 2003-2004 season, Brown performed the roles of Elisabetta in
Verdi's
Don Carlo
and Leonora in
Verdi's
Il Trovatore
for the
Opera Company of Philadelphia, the title role in
Verdi's
Aida
for
Shaker Mountain Opera, and the role of Cassandra in
Taneyev's
Agamemnon
with the
Manhattan Philharmonic and the
Aquila Theater Company which toured
Poland and was performed at her
Carnegie Hall debut . She also performed a concert of
Strauss and
Wagner arias with the
Auckland Philharmonia, was a soloist in
Verdi's
Requiem
with the
Louisville Orchestra, and a soloist with the
Gibraltar Philharmonic. In addition, Brown made an unexpected appearance with the
Opera Company of Philadelphia when she filled in at the last minute in the title roll of
Strauss'
Ariadne auf Naxos
. Brown also filled in for an ailing singer for an orchestra rehearsal of
Aida
at the
Metropolitan Opera. The company was so impressed with her work, they immediately called Brown's agent and booked her for two performances of
Aida
and 12 cover performances for the next season.
[11]
In the 2004-2005 season, Brown made her critically acclaimed debut at the
Metropolitan Opera in the title role of
Verdi's
Aida
. Her performance was so well received that an article about her appeared on the front page of the
New York Times
on
November 8,
2004. Originally she was not scheduled that night to sing, as she had already sung two performances in the scheduled run of Aida and covering the role for the remainder of the run, but she was called to replace the ailing lead that night. Opera News stated of her performance "one of America’s most promising Verdi sopranos".
[12] In addition, Brown sang the role of Aida for
Opera Company of Philadelphia and followed that with the world premiere of
Margaret Garner, a new opera by
Richard Danielpour and
Toni Morrison, in the role of Cilla for
Michigan Opera Theatre and
Cincinnati Opera. She also appeared as a guest soloist in a concert of opera arias for
Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand) and
Dayton Opera.
[13]
In the 2005-2006 season, Brown performed the role of Amelia in
Verdi's
Un Ballo in Maschera
and the role of Cilla in
Margaret Garner
for the
Opera Company of Philadelphia, the title role in
Verdi's
Aida
for
Opera Pacific and
Florentine Opera,
Verdi's
Requiem
for the
Festival of Saint Denis in
France, concerts with the
Indianapolis Symphony and
Brevard Festival Orchestra, and recitals throughout the United States.
In the 2006-2007 season, Brown made her debut with
Opéra National de Paris as Amelia in
Verdi's
Un Ballo in Maschera
, sang the title role of
Verdi's
Aida
with
Florida Grand Opera for the opening the new
Carnival Performing Arts Center, and sang the role of Bess in Gershwin's
Porgy and Bess
for both
Opera Pacific to open the new
Orange County Performing Arts Center and the
Opera Company of Philadelphia to mark the 150th Anniversary of the
Academy of Music.
In the 2007-2008 season, Brown sang the title role of
Aida
and the role of Amelia in
Verdi's
Un Ballo in Maschera
at the
Metropolitan Opera. She was also chosen by
The Library of Congress as the featured soloist for the 2008-2009 National Celebration of the Bicentennial of
Abraham Lincoln in February. In addition, Brown sang in concert at
Dayton Opera, performed with the
Indianapolis Symphony, sang
Aida
with
Opera de la ABAO, the title role in
Puccini's
Tosca
with
Florida Grand Opera, and gave her first appearance in the role of Leonora in a concert version of
La Forza del Destino
with
James Conlon for the
Cincinnati May Festival. This summer Brown will perform
Verdi's
Requiem
with the
National Symphony of Spain in
Madrid, give a concert of sacred repertoire at
St. Patrick’s Cathedral in
Auckland, New Zealand, and will be the featured performer at the
NAACP's national conference in July 2008.
[14]
In the 2008-2009 season, Brown is scheduled to sing Aida for
Cape Town Opera in
South Africa and for the
Latvian National Symphony in
Riga. She will also celebrate Christmas with the
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in
Alabama and the
Southwest Michigan Symphony. In addition, she sings Aida at her debut with the
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Leonora in
Il Trovatore
for her debut with
Atlanta Opera, Amelia in
Un Ballo in Maschera
for
National Opera of Paris, Elisabetta in
Don Carlo
for
Cincinnati Opera, and will perform
Verdi's
Requiem
in
Barcelona.
[15]
Brown has also performed roles with the
Indianapolis Opera.
She has performed in concert with the
San Antonio Symphony,
Tulsa Philharmonic,
Indianapolis Symphony,
Cincinnati Pops,
Brevard Festival Orchestra,
Knoxville Symphony,
Long Island Philharmonic,
Hendersonville Symphony,
Chautauqua Institution, the
Kennedy Center's 25th Anniversary Celebration,
Chicago Sinfonietta,
The Joy of Music Television Series and tours throughout United States, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, and Africa.
[16]
She has given recitals in such places as
Alice Tully Hall and
Carnegie Hall.
Educator and humanitarian
Angela M. Brown is a spokesperson for the
United Negro College Fund and uses her voice to bring awareness of
opera to minority audiences, communities and diverse young audiences.
Since 2002, she has frequently given free concerts entitled
Opera...from A Sistah's Point of View
with fellow opera singer
Kishna Davis to help every day people connect with opera.
[17]
Discography
- 2004 Mosaic - recording of African-American spirituals with pianist Joseph Joubert on the Albany Records label (www.albanyrecords.com)
- 1997 recording and performances with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra - Erich Kunzel, conductor (Serena selections from Porgy and Bess and world-premier recording of "Lonely Boy" from the original score) release TelArc May 1998
- 1997 Guest Artist on The Joy of Music Television Series - on location in Heidelberg, Germany
- 1997 Guest Artist on the Hour of Power International Television Program (Crystal Cathedral, California)
- 1995 solo compact disc recording with Charles Webb pianist and Dean Emeritus of Indiana University School of Music
Watch and listen
- To hear Angela Brown sing the role of Amelia in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera
click on this link:
References
- WTHR - Indianapolis News and Weather - Hoosier makes big splash on opera stage
- Q&A with Angela Brown
- JS Online: Working princess: Soprano Brown took Met by storm to capture Aida
- Entertainment: Opera Pacific: These two are Verdi good - OCRegister.com
- Angela Brown: Biography and Much More from Answers.com
- The Philadelphia Tribune - Entertainment Story
- http://frankhamilton.org/ph/ph4.pdf
- Soprano Angela Brown to Perform at DePauw
- Margaret Garner: Casting News
- http://www.angelambrown.com/Short%20Bio.doc
- GMHC: Music for Life
- Opera Today : Albany Records Announces New Recording by Angela Brown
- Angela M. Brown news, articles, and pics - Celebrated Soprano Angela M. Brown Returns to the Met as Aida this September 29 through November 8, 2007
- Press Release: Dayton Opera Star Gala
- Soprano - Angela M. Brown Biography
- ^ http://www.gmhc.org/calendar/mfl_05_bios/mfl05bio_brown.html
- Ethiopian Princess Brings Opera to the Urban Community in an Exciting New Way