Barbara Hendricks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barbara Hendricks
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Hendricks at The Hague Jazz festival 2008
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| Born | November 20, 1948 Stephens, Arkansas, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Juilliard School of Music |
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Barbara Hendricks, born on November 20, 1948, is a famous American singer. She is known for her beautiful opera voice (soprano) and for performing in concerts. Since 1977, she has lived in Europe. She became a citizen of Sweden after marrying a Swedish person.
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Early Life and Learning
Barbara Hendricks was born in Stephens, Arkansas, in the United States. As a child, she loved to sing. She took voice lessons and often sang solos. She was very talented!
She went to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. There, she earned a degree in both mathematics and chemistry when she was only 20 years old. Later, she studied music at the Juilliard School in New York. She learned from famous singers like Jennie Tourel and Maria Callas. She then earned a degree in music.
Her Amazing Music Career
In 1974, Barbara Hendricks began her professional singing career. She performed in Europe at the Glyndebourne Festival and in America at the San Francisco Opera.
She has sung in many of the world's biggest opera houses. These include the Paris Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and La Scala. In 1998, she sang in a special performance of the opera Turandot. This show took place in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Barbara has performed over twenty different roles in operas. She has also recorded twelve of these roles.
Singing in Movies
Barbara Hendricks has also appeared in movies. She played Mimì in the film La bohème. In 1995, she was Anne Truelove in a Swedish movie. This film was based on the opera The Rake's Progress by Igor Stravinsky. In 2007, she was in the film Disengagement. She also recorded music by Gustav Mahler for this movie.
Jazz and Chamber Music
Besides opera, Barbara Hendricks also sings jazz music. She first performed jazz at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1994. Since then, she has sung at many major jazz festivals worldwide. She also loves chamber music, which is music played by a small group of musicians. She has even organized several chamber music festivals.
In 2006, she started her own music label called Arte Verum. She records her music only for this label. In 2018, she sang the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise", at a special ceremony in Paris.
Helping Others: Humanitarian Work
Barbara Hendricks cares deeply about helping people. Since 2000, she has been part of the Refugee Education Trust (RET). This group helps young refugees around the world get an education after elementary school.
She also gave concerts in cities affected by war. In 1991 and 1993, she performed in Dubrovnik and Sarajevo. These cities were in a war-torn area at the time. In Sarajevo, she sang with the local opera chorus and jazz musician Sinan Alimanović.
In 1998, she started her own group, the Barbara Hendricks Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation. This foundation works to bring people together after conflicts.
In 2001, she performed at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Oslo. She was invited by Kofi Annan, who won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2002, she sang at the Independence Day Ceremony for East Timor.
Awards and Honors
Barbara Hendricks has received many important awards for her work and talent.
- In 1986, she was made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France.
- In 1992, she received the rank of Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, another high French honor.
- In 2000, she won the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. This is a very important award from Spain.
- In 2001, she received the Lions Clubs International Award for her foundation's work.
- In 2015, her old university, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, gave her an honorary degree.
See also
In Spanish: Barbara Hendricks para niños
