Music – Opera and Classical
Oriental Opera Company (1892-1897)
The Oriental Opera Company (OOC), established in 1892, was one of the nation’s first all-African American opera and classical music...
Revella Hughes (1895-1987)
Revella Hughes was a soprano singer, composer, musician, recording artist, and the first female choral director for a Broadway production....
Ella Ruth Lee Romani (1933-2013)
International Lyric Spinto Soprano Ella Ruth Lee was born on June 10, 1933, to Winston Lee and Mary Ella Lee...
Adele Addison Berger (1925- )
Opera singer, actor, and pedagogic Adele Addison Berger was born on July 24, 1925, in Harlem, New York. Addison, a...
Carmen Velma Shepperd (1910-1997)
Classical pianist, mezzo-soprano, pedagogic Carmen Velma Shepperd was born on October 30, 1910, in Mona Heights, Kingston, Jamaica, to David...
Daniel Bernard Roumain (1971- )
Opera composer, librettist, composer, violinist, pedagogic, and activist Daniel Bernard Roumain was born on May 3, 1971 in Skokie, Illinois....
Michael Raphael (1952-2015)
Composer, librettist, and pianist Michael D. Raphael was born January 12, 1952, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Latham Hill, Sr., a...
Melody J. Stewart (1962- )
On January 2, 2019, Melody J. Stewart became the first African American woman sworn in to serve on the Ohio...
Negro String Quartet (1920-1933)
The Negro String Quartet was founded by Felix Weir in 1920 and remained active until 1933. The Quartet performed in...
