Price, Leontyne << LEE uhn `teen` >> (1927-…), an African American singer, ranks among the most celebrated sopranos of her time. Her brilliant voice has an exciting vibrating quality and an unusually wide range. Price has gained acclaim both for her concert recitals and for her opera performances. The title role in the opera Aida is perhaps her most famous operatic part. Her performance in the role in 1960 at La Scala in Milan, Italy, made her internationally famous. She was the first black woman to sing a leading role with that famous opera company.
Price was born on Feb. 10, 1927, in Laurel, Mississippi. She made her first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1961 in Il Trovatore. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 and the Spingarn Medal in 1965. Price retired as an opera performer in 1985, but she continued to sing recitals until the late 1990’s.
