Opera Singer Lawrence Brownlee

Brownlee, one of six children, grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, where the region's steel production, had collapsed. Opera was hardly a priority in the crime-ridden city with rusting blast furnaces turned into "just scrap and rubble," in the words of Bruce Springsteen's song "Youngstown."

As a youth, Brownlee had to sing at a church where the choir director was his father, a GM factory worker.

"I hated it," says Brownlee. "I would have ... the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach all week, if I knew I had to sing solo in church the next Sunday."

But he was a child steeped in music, making drums out of oatmeal boxes and even singing in his sleep. "One night, it was 'Go Tell It on the Mountain' at the top of my lungs — and I never woke up!" he says, repeating family lore.

He also joined his high school choir, though he didn't consider a career until his senior year in a program for gifted music students at Youngstown State University. A coach there told him he had an operatic voice.

"I was not convinced, but I decided to give it a try," he says, first as an undergraduate at Indiana's Anderson University, then polishing his voice as an Indiana University graduate student in Bloomington.

Now, he tosses off the nine high C's in "Fille" that first won Pavarotti fame in the 1960s.

But for Brownlee, fame doesn't mean playing the glamorous opera "divo." He prefers, instead, to fly home just outside Atlanta where his wife, Kendra, is expecting their first child.

And on his private Facebook page, "Bio" is followed by four words: "I am just Larry!"

Eine Kleine Nacht Musik

Have always loved this. Remember listening to this as a child. Mozart at his finest.

Jamaican Bass-Baritone Opera Singer Willard White

As soon as you mention the word Jamaican, some people immediately invisage stereotypical imagery and ideas in their heads. 'Reggae music, weed-smoking, dreadlocks, drugs, crime etc. (Such is the power of constant negative media stereotyping by biased and let's face it, a clearly racist media. (especially the British media) Who thinks of classical music, pianists, violinists or opera singers? Not many I'm sure. Most Westerners associate Jamaica with reggae and are completely ignorant of the fact that there are many Jamaicans (and West Indians) who love other types of music, such as pop, and classical! But why is that such a surprise to people? I've always found it strange how people love to stereotype and pigeon-hole black people in a way they never do to whites or other races. But just as white's differ greatly in musical tastes, so do black people. And it's a crying shame that some people are so lacking in intelligence that they can't actually figure that out for themselves! It is a little known fact that classical music has been a part of Jamaican society for centuries. And there are quite a few classical musicians who come from Jamaica - one of whom is opera singer Willard White. Widely considered one of the greatest singers of his generation, Jamaican-born bass-baritone Willard White made his professional operatic debut with New York City Opera, where he played the character of Colline in La Bohème in 1974. His European debut was with Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, Wales, where he played Osmin in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio in 1974. He has since gone on to perform in the world's major opera houses and his powerful voice and commanding stage presence have made him a popular and admired singer across a wide range of musical styles. White is best known for performing as Mephistopheles in The Damnation of Faust, a role he has played many times. Besides the traditional classical repertoire he is celebrated for his performances as Porgy in Porgy and Bess. White was honored as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1995 and received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 2004.


For full article, click on link. Willard White Biography - Selected works