Angel Blue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Angel Blue
Blue in London in 2013
Born	(1984-05-03) May 3, 1984 (age 41) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	University of Redlands (BM) University of California, Los Angeles (MM)
Occupation	Opera singer (soprano)

Angel Blue (right) with Plácido Domingo (center)

Angel Joy Blue (born May 3, 1984) is an American soprano opera singer. She won a Grammy Award for the best opera recording of Porgy and Bess at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

People praise her voice for being bright and flexible, with a beautiful sound. She can sing both classical and modern styles. Angel Blue has performed all over the world and won many awards. These include a Grammy Award, the Operalia competition, and the Miss Hollywood title. Her family says that when she was born, her father, Sylvester, believed she would become "the next Leontyne Price", another famous opera singer.

Becoming an Opera Star

Her School Days

Angel Blue studied music at two universities. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Redlands in 2005. Then, she received a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance from UCLA in 2007.

Before university, she attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. There, she focused on singing and playing classical piano. She was also part of special programs for young artists. These included the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program at Los Angeles Opera from 2007 to 2009. She also joined Artistas de la Academia del Palau de les Arts from 2009 to 2010. In this program, she worked with famous conductors like Alberto Zedda, Lorin Maazel, and Zubin Mehta.

Beauty Pageants

Before her opera career, Angel Blue was a model and a beauty queen. She was the first African-American to be crowned Miss Apple Valley, California. In 2005, she won the Miss Hollywood title. That same year, she placed second runner-up in the Miss California contest. She was also first runner-up for Miss California in 2006 and Miss Nevada in 2007.

Angel Blue's Career

Performing Around the World

Angel Blue has sung lead roles and as a special soloist in many famous opera houses. These include the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Teatro alla Scala in Italy, and the Royal Opera House in London. She has also performed at the Vienna State Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and Los Angeles Opera.

Her opera roles include characters like Violetta in (La traviata) and Mimì in (La bohème). She has also sung as Micaëla in (Carmen) and Liu in (Turandot).

Angel Blue has also sung the national anthem for important events. These include the Border Governors Conference, hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She also sang for The Women's Conference in California, hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver.

Key Performances and Awards

In 2008–2009, Angel Blue made her debut with the San Francisco Opera. She played Clara in Porgy and Bess. She also performed scenes from La traviata in Korea.

In 2009–2010, she sang with various orchestras. She also made her debut at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía as Micaëla in Carmen. She performed alongside famous singers like Marcelo Álvarez and Elīna Garanča.

From 2010 to 2011, she performed in Vienna, Austria, as Giulietta in Tales of Hoffmann. She also began touring with the famous tenor Plácido Domingo. They performed in places like Kansas City, Oman, Beijing, and Croatia. In 2020, she sang Bess in Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera. This was the first time the opera was performed there in 30 years.

Angel Blue was a finalist in the Operalia competition in 2009. She won first place in the zarzuela category and second place in the opera category. She has also received awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Other awards include the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion's Emerging Young Entertainers Award.

In upcoming performances, Angel Blue will sing Clara in Porgy and Bess with the Berlin Philharmonic. She will also perform Musetta in La bohème for the English National Opera. She plans to release her first solo album with pianist Iain Burnside. She was also the only soloist invited to sing for a tribute concert to film composer Hans Zimmer.

In 2013, she performed at the Edinburgh Festival in the opera American Lulu. She also played Musetta in La bohème at the English National Opera. The next year, she played Mimì in the same opera.

Angel Blue was featured in Melvyn Bragg's documentary series, the South Bank Show, in 2014. She has also appeared in magazines like The Times and TimeOut. She has also been on BBC Radio 3’s InTune.

In December 2014, she was a guest judge for the BBC Choir Competition of the Year final. In 2015, she co-hosted the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. She also co-hosted a BBC broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall.

She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2017 as Mimì in La bohème.

In September 2024, Angel Blue performed at the Last Night of the Proms. She sang famous opera songs by Puccini, like O mio babbino caro and Vissi d’arte. She also performed two spiritual songs with pianist Stephen Hough. She sang a song from the operetta Las hijas del Zebedeo and Rule, Britannia!.

Opera Roles

Angel Blue has performed many roles in different operas. Here are some of them:

Awards and Recognition

Angel Blue has received several important awards:

• Richard Tucker Award, 2022.
• Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for the Metropolitan Opera production of Porgy and Bess in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
• The Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award, 2021.
• Beverly Sills Award, Metropolitan Opera, 2020.

In 2009, she was a finalist in Operalia, winning first place in the zarzuela competition and second place in the opera competition. She has also won awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion's Emerging Young Entertainers Award. On January 21, 2014, she received an Achievement Award from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Helping Others

Angel Blue also uses her talent to help others.

• In 2010, she was a soloist in a concert called Madrileños por Haití in Madrid, Spain. This concert raised money to build homes for Haitians who moved to the Dominican Republic.
• In March 2014, she took part in the annual AIDS Gala in Düsseldorf, Germany. This event raised €142,000 (about $150,000 USD) to help people affected by AIDS and HIV in Germany and South Africa.

See Also

• List of sopranos