List of African-American women in classical music facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

African-American women have made incredible contributions to the world of classical music. From writing beautiful symphonies to singing powerful opera arias, these talented women have broken barriers and inspired many. This article celebrates some of these amazing musicians who have shaped classical music history.

Trailblazing Composers
Talented Conductors
Incredible Instrumentalists
Powerful Opera Singers
Talented Pianists
Inspiring Educators
See also

Trailblazing Composers

Composers are like musical storytellers; they write the music we hear. These African-American women created wonderful pieces that are still performed today.

Portrait of Margaret Bonds.
Lettie Alston (born 1953) is a composer.
Regina Harris Baiocchi (born 1956) is a composer, writer, and educator.
Margaret Bonds (1913–1972) was a composer and pianist. She was a very important figure in American music.
Valerie Coleman is a composer and flutist.
Shirley Graham Du Bois (1896–1977) was a composer, author, and activist.
Helen Eugenia Hagan (1891–1964) was a composer and pianist.
Nora Holt (1884–1974) was a composer, singer, and music critic.
Betty Jackson King (1928–1994) was a composer, singer, pianist, and educator.
Cynthia Cozette Lee (born 1953) is a composer and librettist. A librettist writes the words for operas.
Tania León (born 1943) is a composer and educator.
Lena McLin (born 1928) is a composer, author, pastor, and educator.
Jessie Montgomery (born 1982) is a composer and chamber musician.
Dorothy Rudd Moore (born 1940) is a composer and educator.
Undine Smith Moore (1904–1989) was a composer, pianist, and educator.
Joyce Solomon Moorman (born 1946) is a composer and educator.
Nkeiru Okoye (born 1972) is a composer.
Julia Perry (1924–1979) was a composer and educator.
Zenobia Powell Perry (1908–2004) was a composer, activist, and educator.
Evelyn La Rue Pittman (1910–1992) was a composer.
Rosephanye Powell (born 1962) is a composer, singer, and academic.
Florence Price (1887–1953) was a composer, pianist, and educator. She was the first African-American woman to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra.
Irene Britton Smith (1907–1999) was a composer and educator.

Talented Conductors

Conductors lead orchestras and choirs, guiding musicians to play together. These women have stood on the podium and led incredible performances.

Kalena Bovell is an African-American and Hispanic conductor.
Eva Jessye (1895–1992) was a choral conductor, composer, and educator.
Nina Gamble Kennedy (born 1960) is a conductor, filmmaker, pianist, and writer.
Marsha Mabrey (born 1949) is a conductor, educator, and violinist.
Kay George Roberts (born 1950) is a conductor and educator.

Incredible Instrumentalists

Instrumentalists are musicians who play instruments. These women have mastered their instruments, from the violin to the tuba.

Velvet Brown is a tuba player and educator.
Ezinma (born 1991) is a violinist and composer.
Nokuthula Ngwenyama (born 1976) is a violinist and composer.
Ann Hobson Pilot (born 1943) is a harpist.
Sonya Robinson (born 1959) is a violinist.
Carolyn Utz (1913–2005) was a bassist and conductor.

Powerful Opera Singers

Opera singers use their voices to tell stories on stage. These women have performed in some of the world's most famous opera houses.

Harolyn Blackwell performs in the East Room of the White House.
Adele Addison (born 1925) is an operatic soprano. She also performs in recitals and concerts.
Roberta Alexander (born 1949) is an international operatic soprano.
Betty Allen (1927–2009) was a mezzo-soprano. She performed in concerts and operas from the 1950s.
Marian Anderson (1897–1993) was a famous singer of classical music and spirituals. She broke many barriers for African-American artists.
Martina Arroyo (born 1936) is a major international operatic soprano.
Kathleen Battle (born 1948) is an operatic soprano and concert performer.
Harolyn Blackwell (born 1955) is a lyric coloratura soprano. She has performed in many leading opera houses.
Angel Blue (1984) is an operatic soprano and classical crossover artist.
Angela Brown (born 1963) is an operatic soprano. She is admired for her performances of Verdi heroines.
Débria Brown (1936–2001) was an operatic mezzo-soprano and educator.
Janai Brugger (born 1983) is an operatic soprano. She performs leading roles in several opera companies.
Grace Bumbry (born 1937) was a leading mezzo-soprano of her generation.
Barbara Hendricks at a festival in Łódź, Poland.
Karla Burns (1954–2021) was an operatic mezzo-soprano and actress.
Alyson Cambridge is an operatic soprano, classical, and jazz concert singer.
Cynthia Clarey (born 1949) is an operatic soprano and mezzo-soprano. She is also a classical concert performer.
Barbara Smith Conrad (1937–2017) was an operatic mezzo-soprano and educator.
Michèle Crider (born 1959) is an international lirico spinto soprano. She appears in leading opera houses.
Clamma Dale (born 1948) is an international operatic soprano and concert performer. She is known for her portrayal of Bess.
Billie Lynn Daniel performed Clara in Porgy and Bess.
Ellabelle Davis (1907–1960) was an operatic soprano. She is remembered for performing Aida in the 1940s.
Gloria Davy (1931–2012) was an operatic soprano and concert singer.
Mary Cardwell Dawson (1894–1962) was a musician, educator, and director. She founded the National Negro Opera Company.
Mattiwilda Dobbs (1925–2015) was a coloratura soprano. She was an early international African-American performer.
Ruby Elzy (1908–1943) was a pioneering African-American operatic soprano.
Lillian Evanti (1890–1967) was a classical concert performer and opera singer. She gained fame in France.
Maria Ewing (born 1950) is an operatic soprano and mezzo-soprano. She is also a classical and jazz concert performer.
Cassandra Extavour is a geneticist and classical soprano singer from Canada.
Zelma Watson George (1903–1994) was a philanthropist, musician, and opera singer.
Gail Varina Gilmore (born 1950) is a gospel and mezzo-soprano opera singer. She is known for performing Kundry in Wagner's Parsifal.
Denyce Graves (born 1964) is an operatic mezzo-soprano. She is known for performing the title roles in Carmen and Samson and Delilah.
Elizabeth Greenfield (c. 1820–1876) was the best-known African-American concert singer of her time. She was also a conductor and educator.
Reri Grist (born 1932) is a major international coloratura soprano and concert performer.
Cynthia Haymon (born 1958) is a soprano. She has performed in opera and modern classical works.
Barbara Hendricks (born 1948) is an operatic soprano and concert singer.
Caterina Jarboro (1898–1986) was a pioneering African-American opera singer. She performed the title role in Aida in 1933.
Betty Jones (1930–2019) was an operatic spinto soprano. She performed in the 1970s.
Isola Jones (born 1949) is a mezzo-soprano opera singer and educator.
Sissieretta Jones (c.1869–1933) was a successful classical soprano. She performed for American presidents and the British royal family.
Jonita Lattimore is a soprano and educator. She has performed in operatic roles and oratorio engagements.
Marquita Lister (born 1961) is an operatic soprano. She is known for performing Bess in Porgy and Bess, Aida, and Salome.
Marvis Martin (born 1956) is an operatic soprano. She is best known for her concert performances and recitals.
Myra Merritt is an operatic soprano and educator.
Abbie Mitchell (1884–1960) was an operatic soprano. She performed Clara in the first performance of Porgy and Bess.
Latonia Moore (born 1979) is a classical soprano. She has performed with leading opera companies.
Jessye Norman (1945–2019) was a celebrated dramatic soprano. She performed leading roles in opera and sang in recitals.
Ailyn Pérez (born 1979) is an operatic soprano. She is known for her interpretation of Violetta, Mimi, and Thaïs.
Leontyne Price (born 1927) is an internationally acclaimed soprano at the Metropolitan Opera.
Florence Quivar (born 1944) is an operatic mezzo-soprano. She gave over 100 performances at the Metropolitan Opera.
La Julia Rhea (1898–1992) was a pioneering African-American operatic soprano. She performed in Chicago from 1937.
Marie Selika Williams (1849–1937) was a coloratura soprano. She was the first African American to perform at the White House.
Murial Smith (1923–1985) was a singer. She starred in musical theatre and opera from the 1940s.
Florence Cole Talbert (1890–1961) was an operatic soprano, music educator, and musician.
Shirley Verrett (1931–2010) was an operatic mezzo-soprano. She was known for singing works of Verdi and Donizetti.
Felicia Weathers (born 1937) is an international soprano opera and concert singer.
Camilla Williams (1919–2012) was an operatic soprano and educator. She performed nationally and internationally.
Ivory Winston (1911–1996) was a coloratura soprano, known as "Iowa's First Lady of Song."

Talented Pianists

Pianists play the piano, often as solo performers or accompanying other musicians. These women have shown incredible skill at the keyboard.

Margaret Bonds (1913–1972) was an early composer and pianist.
Valerie Capers (born 1935) is a classical and jazz pianist, and composer.
Helen Eugenia Hagan (1891–1964) was a pianist, educator, and composer.
Hazel Harrison (1883–1969) was a concert pianist.
Anne Gamble Kennedy (1920–2001) was a pianist, accompanist, and educator.
Nina Gamble Kennedy (born 1960) is a pianist, conductor, filmmaker, and writer.
Cornelia Lampton (1896-1928) was a pianist and educator.
Margaret Patrick (1913–1994) was a member of the Ebony and Ivory duo.
Philippa Schuyler (1931–1967) was a child prodigy, concert pianist, and journalist.

Inspiring Educators

These women not only performed but also taught and inspired new generations of musicians.

Harriet Gibbs Marshall (1868–1941) was an educator, writer, and creator of the Washington Conservatory of Music and School of Expression.
Rebecca Walker Steele (1925–2019) was an educator, singer, and choir director.