Oratorio 2020 | A Night at the Opera

Associated with this live concert from March 2020, a panel discussion took place on campus to explore the history and issues faced by singers of color. Entitled Lift Ev’ry Voice: Black Voices in Classical Music, this discussion was repeated on Friday, June 12th and can be viewed here: • Lift Ev'ry Voice: Blac...
Additionally, program notes written by Maestro Jonathan Hirsh can be found here:
alumnae.smith....
The program can be found here: drive.google.c...
The Smith College Department of Music presents the 2020 Iva Dee Hiatt Memorial Spring Oratorio: "A Night at the Opera: Celebrating Achievements of African American Singers." The Smith College Glee Club and Orchestra were joined by the Cornell Glee Club, Stephen Spinelli, Director, in a performance of opera highlights that shaped the careers of pioneering African American opera stars such as George Shirley, Leontyne Price, Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry, and Jessye Norman.
According to Hirsh, “These are some of the most well-known excerpts from the opera repertoire and many of them are famous as a result of the singers who played these roles. Smith faculty and staff soloists are joined by three guest artists with significant careers.” George Shirley, the first African American tenor to sing in a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera, joined the event via video projection for narration and commentary.
Featured Operas
1:35 Verdi's Macbeth
12:02 Puccini's Tosca
16:20 Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana
22:43 Verdi's La Traviata
26:40 Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
36:18 Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos
44:25 Verdi's Aida
1:06:34 Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin
1:20:09 Puccini's Il Trovatore
1:26:50 Puccini's La Bohème
1:44:34 Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Soloists
Karen Slack and Katherine Saik, soprano | Rodrick Dixon and Alan Schneider, tenor | Timothy Jerome Jones, bass-baritone
Conductors
Jonathan Hirsh | Sarah Paquet | Stephen Spinelli
Excerpts from Gershwins' Porgy and Bess:
Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, agent for the Gershwin Representatives.

[@wm.traynor1143]

Karen is fabulous👏😊👏

[@kyraocity]

1:28:00 stunning acting while singing

[@kyraocity]

Stunning performances by all the singers!!!

[@kyraocity]

58:45 Former MET Tenor on contract George Shirley, who hosts here, shares about performing Tamino and Porgy and Bess. He resisted being typecast as a Black male singer.

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1:01:02 Artistic director in Austria didn’t want to cast Shirley as Sportin Life in Porgy and Bess because of his age. “This man is too old for this role!” Shirley retorts here “There’s no pimp like an old pimp!”