TheGrio’s 100: Angela Brown, demystifying high art with one-woman show

TheGrio's 100 - Opera won't be seen as the stuff of stodgy aristocratic types if songstress Angela Brown has her say...

Feb 1, 2011

Opera won’t be seen as the stuff of stodgy aristocratic types if songstress Angela Brown has her say. The soprano is demystifying the art form with her one-woman show, Opera From a Sistah’s Point of View, a humor-infused performance featuring arias alongside spiritual numbers, a combination that aims to make opera palatable, entertaining and relatable to the masses. In addition to her one-woman show, Angela Brown is famed for her roles in Giuseppe Verdi operas, and produced the album Mosaic, a collaborative recording featuring African-American spirituals, guitar and piano.

Angela Brown is making history … bringing high art to all races, classes and cultural palates. As a spokesperson for the United Negro College Fund, Brown is using her voice to bring awareness of opera to minority audiences and communities. She frequently gives free concerts of Opera From a Sistah’s Point of View to help connect high art with people from all walks of life.

What’s next for Angela?

The operatic master recently finished a live recording of her Opera From a Sistah’s Point of View, which will be available for download online. She will also be performing the role of Aida in Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida with the Hamburg Opera, and has been solicited to sing for the 2011 Trumpet Awards, a ceremony which celebrates the accomplishments of black Americans who have succeeded against great odds.

In her own words …

“Anybody can really enjoy an opera. Opera is about rich and poor,” the songstress told Broadway World in 2010. “It’s about love, heartbreak, family, friends, lovers, hard times and happy times. There are stories set in Africa, Asia, Spain, Italy, America and elsewhere; it’s about all audiences.”

On black history …

“I stand on the shoulders of many incredible people who came before me and made it possible for me to do what I do today. Because of that, I continue to strive to bring excellence to everything I do to honor the sacrifices and perseverance of those trailblazers. I continue to perform African-American spirituals almost every time I sing,” Brown told theGrio. “These inspiring compositions stand the test of time and are a great part of my history. I also celebrate and perform more contemporary works by African-American composers and librettists.”

A little-known fact …

In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution denied African-American opera singer Marian Anderson permission to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. Working with the Roosevelt administration, Anderson’s manager arranged an open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial instead, to a crowd of more than 75,000.

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