Sylvia Olden Lee
Sylvia Olden Lee | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | June 29, 1917 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | April 10, 2004 (aged 86) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | European Classical Music, Negro Spirituals |
| Occupation(s) | Vocal coach, accompanist |
| Formerly of | Metropolitan Opera |
Sylvia Olden Lee (June 29, 1917 – April 10, 2004)[1] was an American vocal coach and accompanist. She was the first African-American to be employed by the Metropolitan Opera. Her fields of expertise were European classical music and Negro spirituals.
Biography
[edit]Lee was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Her father, James Clarence Olden, was a member of the Fisk Quartet, which included Roland Hayes. She studied piano and organ at Howard University and Oberlin Conservatory.[2]
Among the highlights of her career:
- She was invited to play at the White House for the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933).[3]
- In 1942, she toured with Paul Robeson.[2]
- In 1954, after being hired as vocal coach for the Metropolitan Opera, she was the impetus for the historic invitation to African-American contralto Marian Anderson to perform in Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.[4]
- In 1956, she began studies with famed German baritone Gerhard Huesch.
Lee taught at a number of universities, including the Curtis Institute of Music.
Lee's brother was the prominent African-American graphic designer Georg Olden. In 2017, Lee was commemorated in a concert at Carnegie Hall, sponsored by the Foundation for the Revival of Classical Culture.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Cynthia Cozette Lee: Black Classical Firsts Honored in April: Day 16 – Sylvia Olden Lee, Acclaimed Vocal Coach, Pianist and Music Educator". AfriClassical. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Lee, Sylvia Olden (1917-2004)". Oberlin College Archives. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Lena (29 June 2017). "Carnegie Hall to celebrate 100th birthday of Sylvia Olden Lee". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Carnegie Tribute To Sylvia Olden Lee 06/17". Foundation For The Revival of Classical Culture. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Tribute to Sylvia OIden Lee". Carnegie Hall. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
Further reading
[edit]- Sylvia Olden Lee & Elizabeth Nash. The Memoirs of Sylvia Olden Lee: Premier African-American Vocal Coach. Edwin Mellen Press, 2001.
External links
[edit]- Tribute to Sylvia Olden Lee Master Musician and Teacher Schiller Institute
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