Chris Dickerson, born Henri Christophe Dickerson, was the first African American to become Mr. America. He was born August 25, 1939, the youngest of triples, in Montgomery, Alabama. After his parents’ divorce, Dickerson entered a Quaker boarding school in Ohio, where he gained an interest … Read MoreChris Dickerson (1939-2021)
Antoine James Hodge was a critically acclaimed opera singer, best known for his role in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” Hodge was born on August 5, 1982, in Albany, Georgia, to Mildred Wingfield and Larry Hodge. Educated in the Dougherty school system, Hodge graduated from Dougherty … Read MoreAntoine Hodge (1982-2021)
Lyric Soprano, Actor, and advocate for equal rights Audra Ann McDonald was born July 3, 1970, in Berlin, Germany, to Stanley McDonald Jr., a high school principal stationed in West Berlin with the United States Army, and Anna Kathryn, a university administrator. She was reared, … Read MoreAudra Ann McDonald (1970- )
Lyric soprano soloist Alyne Dumas Lee was born on March 22, 1903, in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Joseph and Clora Dumas. She spent her childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois developing her musical abilities. At age eight, Lee was her local church’s organist, and by thirteen she had obtained a musical diploma … Read MoreAlyne Dumas Lee (1903-1970)
Operatic soprano Camilla Williams was born October 18, 1919, in Danville, Virginia to Fannie Carey Williams and Cornelius Booker Williams. The youngest of four siblings, Williams began singing at a young age and was performing at her local church by age eight. At age 12, she began taking … Read MoreCamilla Williams (1919-2012)
Denyce Graves is a renowned mezzo-soprano opera singer. She has performed at opera houses around the world and is best known for her roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. Denyce Graves was born on March 7, 1964 to parents Charles Graves and Dorothy Graves-Kenner in Washington D.C. She was raised by her … Read MoreDenyce Graves (1964- )
Isola Jones is an internationally renowned mezzo-soprano opera singer. She is best known for her work with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, New York where she sang for 16 years and particularly for her role as Carmen in Georges Bizet’s opera by the same title. Isola Jones … Read MoreIsola Jones (1949- )
Basso cantante (Lyric Bass) Arthur Woodley was born in New York City, New York in 1949 and raised in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands where his family farmed sugar cane and raised animals. Most of his family and childhood friends still live there. In 2016 Woodley gave two fundraising concerts … Read MoreArthur Woodley (1949-2020)
Charlotte Wesley Holloman was an opera singer and voice teacher who taught at Howard University for over twenty years as the only vocal faculty member. She was a prominent opera star in Europe with credits in twenty-two operas in Germany, Switzerland, and France. After an accomplished performing career, Holloman resumed her career in music education. She returned to Washington D.C. in … Read MoreCharlotte Wesley Holloman (1922-2015)
Ryan S. Green is bass-baritone opera singer. Born April 1, 1986 in Suffolk, Virginia, his parents, Cecil and Valerie Green, separated when he was a child. The divorce forced his mother, an Air Force veteran, to move her children to a crime-ridden housing project in Suffolk. Green suffered … Read MoreRyan Speedo Green (1986- )
