Opera Ebony

Opera Ebony is an African-American opera company that has performed in a wide variety of programs and venues, ranging from Mozart in Harlem to African-American Heritage concerts in Iceland to Gershwin in Moscow to Duke Ellington in the Caribbean.

African-American opera stars that were trained by Opera Ebony or have performed with the company include sopranos Marvis Martin, Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle; baritone Lawrence Craig; and conductors Leslie Dunner, Everett Lee and Tania León.

History

Opera Ebony is the longest continuously operated Black Opera Company in the world. It was founded in 1973 by Benjamin Matthews, along side Wayne Sanders.

References

  1. ↑ "Opera Ebony home page". Opera Ebony. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "Jessye Norman | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
  3. ↑ "Kathleen Battle | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
  4. ↑ Craig, Lawrence. "Lawrence Craig on about.me". about.me. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
  5. ↑ "Leslie Dunner | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
  6. ↑ "Blog | News | Leonard Bernstein". www.leonardbernstein.com. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  7. ↑ Richardson, Clem. "Opera Ebony, an icon of African-American operatic talent, celebrates its 40th anniversary this season". Daily News. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  8. ↑ Quevedo, Marysol (2016-06-01), "León, Tania", African American Studies Center, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1, retrieved 2026-06-12
  9. ↑ "Who Are We". OPERA EBONY. Retrieved 2026-06-11.