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'''Everett Astor Lee''' (August 31, 1916 – January 12, 2022) was an American conductor and violinist. He was the first [[African American]] to conduct a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical, the first to "conduct an established symphony orchestra below the [[Mason–Dixon line]]", and the first to conduct a performance by a major American opera company.<ref name="Cheatham">Cheatham, Wallace, ed. ''Dialogues on Opera and the African-American Experience.'' Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 1997.</ref><ref name="Jet">"Yesterday in Negro History." ''Jet'', 22 April 1965. 11.</ref>
'''Everett Astor Lee''' (August 31, 1916 – January 12, 2022) was an American conductor and violinist. He was the first [[African American]] to conduct a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical, the first to "conduct an established symphony orchestra below the [[Mason–Dixon line]]", and the first to conduct a performance by a major American opera company.<ref name="Cheatham">Cheatham, Wallace, ed. ''Dialogues on Opera and the African-American Experience.'' Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 1997.</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2022}}<ref name="Jet">"Yesterday in Negro History." ''Jet'', 22 April 1965. 11.</ref>


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Lee was born in [[Wheeling, West Virginia]], on August 31, 1916, to a middle-class family.<ref name="Oja">{{cite journal|last= Oja|first=Carol J.|year=2013|title=Everett Lee and the Racial Politics of Orchestral Conducting|journal=American Music Review|issue=Fall 2013|url=http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/centers/hitchcock/publications/amr/v43-1/oja.php|access-date=August 14, 2016}}</ref><ref name=WQXR>{{cite web|url=https://www.wqxr.org/story/happy-100th-birthday-everett-lee-trailblazing-conductor/|title=Happy 100th Birthday Everett Lee, Trailblazing Conductor|publisher=[[WQXR-FM]]|author=Terrance McKnight|date=2016-08-31|access-date=2016-11-03}}</ref> He moved with his parents to [[Cleveland]], Ohio, in 1927 as part of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]]. While working as a hotel busboy as a teenager, Lee met the conductor [[Artur Rodziński]], who became his mentor. He studied violin at the [[Cleveland Institute of Music]], where he received a Ranney Scholarship. In 1943, Lee was asked to join the orchestra of the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Carmen Jones]]'', an all-black contemporary retelling of [[Georges Bizet]]'s opera ''[[Carmen]]''. Lee played violin in the pit and performed the oboe onstage in one scene; he was one of only two African-American musicians in the orchestra.<ref name="Oja"/> When ''Carmen Jones'''s conductor [[Joseph Lattau]] fell ill, Lee "got his first break as an emergency [[pinch-hitter]]".<ref>[[Ross Parmenter|Parmenter, Ross]]. "The World of Music: Season's Start", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 31 August 1947.</ref> [[Leonard Bernstein]] saw a performance of ''Carmen Jones'' with Lee leading the orchestra and asked him to become the permanent conductor of his musical ''[[On the Town (musical)|On the Town]]''. When Lee joined the show in September 1945, he was celebrated for being the first African American to regularly conduct a Broadway musical.<ref name="Oja"/><ref name="courier-journal.com">Pinkston, Antwon, and Paula Burba. [https://web.archive.org/web/20151223122141/http://archive.courier-journal.com/article/20100201/NEWS01/2010336/Black-History-Month-1953-Everett-Lee "Black History Month: 1953 Everett Lee"], ''[[Louisville Courier-Journal]]'', 1 February 2010.</ref>
Lee was born in [[Wheeling, West Virginia]], on August 31, 1916, to a middle-class family.<ref name="Oja">{{cite journal|last= Oja|first=Carol J.|year=2013|title=Everett Lee and the Racial Politics of Orchestral Conducting|journal=American Music Review|issue=Fall 2013|url=http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/centers/hitchcock/publications/amr/v43-1/oja.php|access-date=August 14, 2016}}</ref><ref name=WQXR>{{cite web|url=https://www.wqxr.org/story/happy-100th-birthday-everett-lee-trailblazing-conductor/|title=Happy 100th Birthday Everett Lee, Trailblazing Conductor|publisher=[[WQXR-FM]]|author=Terrance McKnight|date=2016-08-31|access-date=2016-11-03}}</ref> He moved with his parents to [[Cleveland]], Ohio, in 1927 as part of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]]. While working as a hotel busboy as a teenager, Lee met the conductor [[Artur Rodziński]], who became his mentor. He studied violin at the [[Cleveland Institute of Music]], where he received a Ranney Scholarship. In 1943, Lee was asked to join the orchestra of the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Carmen Jones]]'', an all-black contemporary retelling of [[Georges Bizet]]'s opera ''[[Carmen]]''. Lee played violin in the pit and performed the oboe onstage in one scene; he was one of only two African-American musicians in the orchestra.<ref name="Oja"/> When ''Carmen Jones'''s conductor [[Joseph Lattau]] fell ill, Lee "got his first break as an emergency [[pinch-hitter]]".<ref>[[Ross Parmenter|Parmenter, Ross]]. "The World of Music: Season's Start", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 31 August 1947.</ref> [[Leonard Bernstein]] saw a performance of ''Carmen Jones'' with Lee leading the orchestra and asked him to become the permanent conductor of his musical ''[[On the Town (musical)|On the Town]]''. When Lee joined the show in September 1945, he was celebrated for being the first African American to regularly conduct a Broadway musical.<ref name="Oja"/><ref name="courier-journal.com">Pinkston, Antwon, and Paula Burba. [https://web.archive.org/web/20151223122141/http://archive.courier-journal.com/article/20100201/NEWS01/2010336/Black-History-Month-1953-Everett-Lee "Black History Month: 1953 Everett Lee"], ''[[Louisville Courier-Journal]]'', 1 February 2010.</ref>


In 1946, Lee won a Koussevitzky Music Foundation Award to conduct at [[Tanglewood]], and played first violin in the New York City Symphony{{clarify|date=February 2021|reason=Which orchestra exactly?}}, conducted by Bernstein. In 1947, he founded an interracial orchestra, the Cosmopolitan Symphony Society, made up of "Americans of Chinese, Russian, Jewish, Negro, Italian and Slavic origin", as well as women.<ref name="Oja"/> He served as director of [[Columbia University]]'s opera department in the early 1950s and traveled to Europe on a [[Fulbright scholarship]]. In 1953, Lee served as a guest conductor of the [[Louisville Orchestra]], becoming the first African American to conduct a white symphony orchestra in the American South.<ref name="courier-journal.com"/><ref name="Cheatham"/> In 1955, he conducted an acclaimed [[New York City Opera]] production of ''[[La traviata]]'', becoming "the first Negro to conduct professional grand opera in the U.S."<ref name="Jet" /><ref>"Everett Lee Conducts at City Center", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 18 April 1955.</ref>
In 1946, Lee won a Koussevitzky Music Foundation Award to conduct at [[Tanglewood]], and played first violin in the New York City Symphony{{clarify|date=February 2021|reason=Which orchestra exactly?}}, conducted by Bernstein. In 1947, he founded an interracial orchestra, the Cosmopolitan Symphony Society, made up of "Americans of Chinese, Russian, Jewish, Negro, Italian and Slavic origin", as well as women.<ref name="Oja"/> He served as director of [[Columbia University]]'s opera department in the early 1950s and traveled to Europe on a [[Fulbright scholarship]]. In 1953, Lee served as a guest conductor of the [[Louisville Orchestra]], becoming the first African American to conduct a white symphony orchestra in the American South.<ref name="courier-journal.com"/><ref name="Cheatham"/>{{Page needed|date=January 2022}} In 1955, he conducted an acclaimed [[New York City Opera]] production of ''[[La traviata]]'', becoming "the first Negro to conduct professional grand opera in the U.S."<ref name="Jet" /><ref>"Everett Lee Conducts at City Center", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 18 April 1955.</ref>


Lee was met with undisguised racism throughout his career. [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] declined to hire Lee to conduct touring productions of his shows, explaining that Southern theaters would refuse to book them.<ref name="Oja"/> Concert manager [[Arthur Judson]] told Lee, "I don't believe in Negro symphony conductors."<ref name="Oja"/> Deciding that he would find better opportunities outside of America, Lee moved to Germany with his family in 1957. In 1962, he was appointed chief conductor of the [[Norrköping Symphony Orchestra]] in Sweden, a position he held for a decade. In 1976, he conducted the [[New York Philharmonic]] for the first time; the concert was in honor of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s birthday and included a work by African-American composer [[David Baker (composer)|David Baker]]. In 1979, he became music director of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia.
Lee was met with undisguised racism throughout his career. [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] declined to hire Lee to conduct touring productions of his shows, explaining that Southern theaters would refuse to book them.<ref name="Oja"/> Concert manager [[Arthur Judson]] told Lee, "I don't believe in Negro symphony conductors."<ref name="Oja"/> Deciding that he would find better opportunities outside of America, Lee moved to Germany with his family in 1957. In 1962, he was appointed chief conductor of the [[Norrköping Symphony Orchestra]] in Sweden, a position he held for a decade. In 1976, he conducted the [[New York Philharmonic]] for the first time; the concert was in honor of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s birthday and included a work by African-American composer [[David Baker (composer)|David Baker]]. In 1979, he became music director of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia.

Revision as of 21:10, 20 January 2022

Everett Lee
Lee in 1948
Lee in 1948
Background information
Birth nameEverett Astor Lee
Born(1916-08-31)August 31, 1916
Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
DiedJanuary 12, 2022(2022-01-12) (aged 105)
Malmö, Sweden
GenresOpera, musical
Occupation(s)Musician, conductor, music scholar
Instrument(s)Violin, oboe

Everett Astor Lee (August 31, 1916 – January 12, 2022) was an American conductor and violinist. He was the first African American to conduct a Broadway musical, the first to "conduct an established symphony orchestra below the Mason–Dixon line", and the first to conduct a performance by a major American opera company.[1][page needed][2]

Life and career

Lee was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on August 31, 1916, to a middle-class family.[3][4] He moved with his parents to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927 as part of the Great Migration. While working as a hotel busboy as a teenager, Lee met the conductor Artur Rodziński, who became his mentor. He studied violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received a Ranney Scholarship. In 1943, Lee was asked to join the orchestra of the Broadway musical Carmen Jones, an all-black contemporary retelling of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen. Lee played violin in the pit and performed the oboe onstage in one scene; he was one of only two African-American musicians in the orchestra.[3] When Carmen Jones's conductor Joseph Lattau fell ill, Lee "got his first break as an emergency pinch-hitter".[5] Leonard Bernstein saw a performance of Carmen Jones with Lee leading the orchestra and asked him to become the permanent conductor of his musical On the Town. When Lee joined the show in September 1945, he was celebrated for being the first African American to regularly conduct a Broadway musical.[3][6]

In 1946, Lee won a Koussevitzky Music Foundation Award to conduct at Tanglewood, and played first violin in the New York City Symphony[clarification needed], conducted by Bernstein. In 1947, he founded an interracial orchestra, the Cosmopolitan Symphony Society, made up of "Americans of Chinese, Russian, Jewish, Negro, Italian and Slavic origin", as well as women.[3] He served as director of Columbia University's opera department in the early 1950s and traveled to Europe on a Fulbright scholarship. In 1953, Lee served as a guest conductor of the Louisville Orchestra, becoming the first African American to conduct a white symphony orchestra in the American South.[6][1][page needed] In 1955, he conducted an acclaimed New York City Opera production of La traviata, becoming "the first Negro to conduct professional grand opera in the U.S."[2][7]

Lee was met with undisguised racism throughout his career. Oscar Hammerstein II declined to hire Lee to conduct touring productions of his shows, explaining that Southern theaters would refuse to book them.[3] Concert manager Arthur Judson told Lee, "I don't believe in Negro symphony conductors."[3] Deciding that he would find better opportunities outside of America, Lee moved to Germany with his family in 1957. In 1962, he was appointed chief conductor of the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, a position he held for a decade. In 1976, he conducted the New York Philharmonic for the first time; the concert was in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and included a work by African-American composer David Baker. In 1979, he became music director of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia.

Personal life and death

Lee married the accompanist and vocal coach Sylvia Olden (1917–2004) in 1944.[8] They had two children, the late Everett Lee, III and Dr. Eve Lee. They divorced and Lee later married opera singer Christin Andersson, in 1979. They had one son, opera singer Erik Andersson. Lee died in Malmö, Sweden on January 12, 2022, at the age of 105.[9][10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Cheatham, Wallace, ed. Dialogues on Opera and the African-American Experience. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 1997.
  2. ^ a b "Yesterday in Negro History." Jet, 22 April 1965. 11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Oja, Carol J. (2013). "Everett Lee and the Racial Politics of Orchestral Conducting". American Music Review (Fall 2013). Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  4. ^ Terrance McKnight (2016-08-31). "Happy 100th Birthday Everett Lee, Trailblazing Conductor". WQXR-FM. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  5. ^ Parmenter, Ross. "The World of Music: Season's Start", The New York Times, 31 August 1947.
  6. ^ a b Pinkston, Antwon, and Paula Burba. "Black History Month: 1953 Everett Lee", Louisville Courier-Journal, 1 February 2010.
  7. ^ "Everett Lee Conducts at City Center", The New York Times, 18 April 1955.
  8. ^ Latty, Yvonne. "Sylvia Olden Lee, 86, music-world icon", Philadelphia Daily News 16 April 2004.
  9. ^ "Everett Lee" (in Swedish). ratsit.se. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  10. ^ En maestro har gått ur tiden – ledde SON i tio år
  11. ^ "Everett Astor Lee, Trailblazing Conductor and Wheeling Native, Dies at 105". The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
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