She regularly appeared at the world's major opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and La Scala; at La Scala, she was also the first African American to sing a leading role. [2]

Dec 27, 2024 · Leontyne Price, American lyric soprano, the first African American singer to achieve an international reputation in opera. She was one of the Metropolitan Opera’s leading regular sopranos, notably appearing in Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, and Aida.

Apr 2, 2014 · Soprano Leontyne Price is widely regarded as the first African American to gain international acclaim as a professional opera singer.

African American opera singer Leontyne Price was a prima donna soprano (the lead female singer in an opera) and considered in most many circles as one of the finest opera singers of the twentieth century.

Metropolitan Opera audiences began an extraordinary love affair with American soprano Leontyne Price immediately upon her debut on January 27, 1961. She was by then an internationally heralded singer and an experienced, refined musician and artist.

Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano. She is particularly associated with Verdi roles, notably in the operas Il trovatore and Aida. She was one of the first black singers to enjoy an international career in opera.

Price achieved one of the greatest artistic victories of her career on January 27, 1961, when she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore. This performance ignited a 42-minute ovation, one of the longest in the Met's history.