Jessye Norman

Jessye Norman, born in 1945, American concert and opera singer, whose soprano voice is noted for its rich timbre and wide dynamic scale. Born in Augusta, Georgia, Norman trained at Howard University, the Peabody Conservatory, and the University of Michigan before she embarked on a career that brought her worldwide recognition. In 1968 she won a voice competition in Munich, Germany, and in 1969 she made her operatic debut in Berlin, Germany, in Tannhäuser (1845), by German composer Richard Wagner. Norman first sang at the renowned opera houses Covent Garden in London, England, and La Scala in Milan, Italy, in 1972. A decade later she returned to the United States, performing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Oedipus Rex (1927), by Russian American composer Igor Stravinsky, and in Dido and Aeneas (1689), by English composer Henry Purcell. In 1983 Norman debuted at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, where she performed Cassandra in Les Troyens (The Trojans, 1856-1859), by French composer Hector Berlioz.

Norman is recognized for her stage presence and her ability to convey emotional intensity. Her recital programs combine arias and spirituals with art songs in numerous languages. Her repertory includes roles in Alceste (1767), by German composer Christoph Gluck; Erwartung (Anxiety, 1909), by Austrian-born composer Arnold Schoenberg; A Kékszakállú Herceg Vára (Bluebeard's Castle, 1911), by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók; and Les Dialogues des Carmélites (The Dialogues of the Carmelites, 1957), by French composer Francis Poulenc. Norman also added several Wagner heroines to her German repertoire, notably Sieglinde in Die Walküre (The Valkyrie, 1856) and Kundry in Parsifal (1882). Her numerous recordings include several roles that she did not perform on stage.