Aida's Brothers & Sisters: Black Voices in Opera
With Jessye Norman performing at the Clinton inauguration, Kathleen Battle appearing as the Vatican's Easter Mass soloist, and Simon Estes singing Wotan at New York's Metropolitan Opera, contemporary audiences may take for granted the prominence of African-American singers in opera. Yet it was just 50 years ago that Marian Anderson was barred from Washington's Constitution Hall, illustrating the long and oppressive path that black opera performers have trod to reach the pinnacle of today's success. Framed by archival clips and new musical sequences, AIDA'S BROTHERS AND SISTERS: BLACK VOICES IN OPERA tells the story of African Americans in opera from the time of the legendary Paul Robeson. Featuring interviews with Barbara Hendricks, Grace Bumbry, Simon Estes, Robert McFerrin (the first black baritone to perform at the Met) and his son Bobby McFerrin, Shirley Verrett, and many others, as well as insights from opera company directors and orchestra conductors.