Lillian Evanti
Lillian Evanti (born Annie Lillian Evans August 12, 1890 in Washington, DC ; died December 6, 1967 in Washington, DC) was an American opera singer with a soprano voice.
Life
Lillian Evans' father was a teacher at the Armstrong Manual Training School in Washington, and one uncle was politician Hiram Rhodes Revels . She formed her stage name Evanti from her own family name and that of her husband Roy Tibbs.
Evans studied music at Howard University , Washington, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She married Roy W. Tibbs, who had been her piano and singing teacher, and they lived in Washington in a house that was later listed as the Evans-Tibbs House on the National Register of Historic Places . They had one son and the marriage ended in divorce in the 1930s.
In 1924 she went to Europe, where she took the stage name Evanti. She continued to take singing lessons and received the title role in Lakmé at the Nice Opera , making her the first colored woman at a major European opera house. Her coloratura technique in the roles of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata and Rosina in the Barbier of Seville was particularly praised at other appearances in France and Italy . On the other hand, she was rejected as a colored singer in 1932 and later by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Evanti had concert appearances in the USA, but on the opera stage she had to make do with engagements with the National Negro Opera Company, founded in 1941 . Evanti composed songs with a patriotic touch during World War II, which she also performed on the radio. After the end of her public career, she founded the Evanti Chorale women's choir in Washington, with whom she performed in churches. In 1963 she took part in the March on Washington for Work and Freedom .
Compositions (selection)
Evidence of the printed compositions at WorldCat
- Himno Pan-Americano . Edward B. Marks Music Corporation, New York 1942
- The mighty rapture . Edwin Markham ’s poem Victory in defeat. 1943
- Speak to him Thou: from the higher pantheism . Text by Alfred Tennyson . Handy Brothers Music, New York, NY 1943
- Beloved mother: a Mother's Day song . Text Georgia Douglas Johnson . Handy Brothers Music, New York, NY1952
literature
- Evanti, Lillian . In: Large song dictionary . 2000, pp. 7113f.
- Eileen Southern : The Music of Black Americans: A History . Norton, New York 1997, ISBN 0-393-97141-4 .
- Lillian Evanti , in: Sheila Rowbotham : A Century of Women. The History of Women in Britain and the United States . Viking, London 1997, ISBN 0-670-87420-5 , p. 598.
Web links
- Lillian Evanti at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
- Literature by and about Lillian Evanti in the bibliographic database WorldCat
Remarks
- ↑ The Met lasted until 1955, until Marian Anderson was engaged as Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Evanti, Lillian |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Evans, Annie Lillian (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American opera singer with a soprano voice |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 12, 1890 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Washington, DC |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 6, 1967 |
| Place of death | Washington, DC |