Norman, Jessye (1945-2019), was an African American soprano known for the richness of her voice and her powerful stage presence in opera. Norman sang an exceptionally broad range of music, including classical and modern opera as well as French songs, German lieder (art songs), spirituals, and jazz. She won praise for performances in operas by such diverse composers as Hector Berlioz of France, Richard Strauss of Germany, Christoph Willibald Gluck and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart of Austria, Henry Purcell of England, and Igor Stravinsky of Russia. Norman also collaborated on and sang woman.life.song (2000), a collection of writings by three female authors set to music by the British composer Judith Weir.
Norman was born on Sept. 15, 1945, in Augusta, Georgia. She studied voice at Howard University, the Peabody Conservatory, and the University of Michigan. She made her opera debut in 1969 at the German Opera in Berlin. The success of her performance there led to appearances at other leading European opera houses, including La Scala in Milan, Italy, and Covent Garden in London. Norman made her American opera debut with the Opera Company of Philadelphia in 1982. She first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1983. In 2013, she won the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor given by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Norman won four Grammy Awards for her recordings. She died on Sept. 30, 2019.
