Everett Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Everett Lee |
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Lee in 1948
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 31, 1916 Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | January 12, 2022 (aged 105) Malmö, Sweden |
| Genres | Orchestral, opera, musical |
| Occupation(s) | Conductor, opera music director, musician, music scholar |
| Instruments | Violin, Viola, oboe |
| Associated acts | Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Columbia University Director of Opera, New York City Opera, Symphony of the New World, New York Philharmonic, Opera Ebony |
Everett Astor Lee (born August 31, 1916 – died January 12, 2022) was an amazing American conductor, opera director, and violinist. He made history many times! He was the first African American to conduct a musical on Broadway. He was also the first to lead a major symphony orchestra in the Southern United States. And he was the first to conduct a performance for a big American opera company.
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Early Life and Musical Journey
Everett Lee was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on August 31, 1916. His family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927. This was part of a big movement called the Great Migration. As a teenager, Everett worked as a hotel busboy. There, he met a famous conductor named Artur Rodziński, who became his mentor.
Everett studied violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He even received a special scholarship there. After finishing his studies, he traveled around the South. He performed as a concert violinist and became quite well known.
From Tuskegee Airman to Broadway
Everett's music career was paused when he joined the military. He was chosen to be an aviation cadet at Tuskegee Army Airfield. This was a training ground for the famous Tuskegee Airmen, an elite group of African American pilots.
In 1943, Everett joined the orchestra for the Broadway musical Carmen Jones. This show was a modern version of the opera Carmen, with an all-black cast. Everett played the violin in the orchestra pit. He also played the oboe on stage in one scene. He was one of only two African American musicians in the orchestra.
When the conductor of Carmen Jones became ill, Everett stepped in. This was his first big chance to lead an orchestra. Leonard Bernstein, a very famous composer, saw Everett conduct. He was so impressed that he asked Everett to become the permanent conductor for his musical On the Town. In September 1945, Everett Lee became the first African American to regularly conduct a Broadway musical.
Breaking Barriers in Classical Music
Everett continued to achieve great things in classical music. In 1946, he won an award to conduct at Tanglewood. He also played first violin in the New York City Symphony.
In 1947, he started his own orchestra. It was called the Cosmopolitan Symphony Society. This orchestra was special because it included musicians from many different backgrounds. There were Chinese, Russian, Jewish, African American, Italian, and Slavic musicians, as well as women.
In the early 1950s, Everett led the opera department at Columbia University. He also traveled to Europe on a special scholarship called a Fulbright scholarship.
In 1953, he became a guest conductor for the Louisville Orchestra. This made him the first African American to conduct a white symphony orchestra in the American South. Two years later, in 1955, he conducted an opera called La traviata for the New York City Opera. This was a huge success! It made him the first African American to conduct a professional grand opera in the U.S.
Challenges and International Success
Everett Lee faced many challenges because of his race throughout his career. Some people refused to hire him. For example, a famous writer named Oscar Hammerstein II would not hire Everett to conduct his touring shows. He said that theaters in the South would not book them. A concert manager even told Everett, "I don't believe in Negro symphony conductors."
Because of these unfair situations, Everett decided to look for better opportunities outside of America. In 1954, he moved to Germany with his family. In 1962, he became the chief conductor of the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. He held this important position for ten years.
Returning to the United States
Everett Lee continued to conduct at famous venues. He led performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City from 1969 to 1983. He worked with groups like the Symphony of the New World and the American Symphony Orchestra.
In 1975, he became the Music Director of the Symphony of the New World. He led a series of concerts in Washington, D.C. In 1976, he conducted the New York Philharmonic for the first time. This concert was held to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. It even included a piece by an African American composer named David Baker.
In 1979, Everett became the music director of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia. Over his long career, Everett Lee conducted nearly 1,000 orchestral pieces. He also led about 100 choral and operatic works. He conducted two Broadway shows in the United States, Europe, and South America.
Personal Life and Legacy
Everett Lee married Sylvia Olden in 1944. She was a talented accompanist and vocal coach. They had two children, Everett Lee, III, and Dr. Eve Lee. They later divorced. In 1979, Everett married opera singer Christin Andersson. They had one son, Erik Andersson, who also became an opera singer.
Everett Lee passed away on January 12, 2022, in Malmö, Sweden. He was 105 years old. He left behind an incredible legacy. He opened doors for many musicians and conductors who came after him.
See also
