Sylvia Olden Lee
Sylvia Olden Lee (June 29, 1917 – April 10, 2004) was an American vocal coach and accompanist. She was the first African-American to be employed by the Metropolitan Opera. Her fields of expertise were European classical music and Negro spirituals.
Sylvia Olden Lee | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 29, 1917 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | April 10, 2004 (aged 86) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | European Classical Music, Negro Spirituals |
| Occupation(s) | Vocal coach, accompanist |
Biography
Lee was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Her father, James Clarence Olden, was a member of the Fisk Quartet, which included Roland Hayes. She studied piano and organ at Howard University and Oberlin Conservatory.
Among the highlights of her career:
- She was invited to play at the White House for the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933).
- In 1942, she toured with Paul Robeson.
- In 1954, after being hired as vocal coach for the Metropolitan Opera, she was the impetus for the historic invitation to African-American contralto Marian Anderson to perform in Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.
- In 1956, she began studies with famed German baritone Gerhard Huesch.
Lee taught at a number of universities, including the Curtis Institute of Music.
Lee's brother was the prominent African-American graphic designer Georg Olden. In 2017, Lee was commemorated in a concert at Carnegie Hall, sponsored by the Foundation for the Revival of Classical Culture.[1]
References
- "Tribute to Sylvia OIden Lee". Carnegie Hall. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
Further reading
- Sylvia Olden Lee & Elizabeth Nash. The Memoirs of Sylvia Olden Lee: Premier African-American Vocal Coach. Edwin Mellen Press, 2001.