Angel Blue
Angel Joy Blue (born May 3, 1984) is an American soprano. She won the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for the Metropolitan Opera production of Porgy and Bess in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[1] Her voice has been recognized for its shining and agile upper register, "smoky" middle register, beautiful timbre,[2] and ability to switch from a classical to a contemporary sound. She has performed internationally and won numerous awards including a Grammy Award, Operalia and Miss Hollywood. According to family lore, her father Sylvester predicted her to be "the next Leontyne Price" when she was born.[3]
Angel Blue | |
|---|---|
Blue in London in 2013 | |
| Born | May 3, 1984 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of Redlands (BM) University of California, Los Angeles (MM) |
| Occupation | Opera singer (soprano) |
| Website | angeljoyblue |
Education edit
Blue earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Redlands in 2005, and a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance from UCLA[4] in 2007. She is an alumna of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts where she studied voice and classical piano. She was a member of the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program at Los Angeles Opera from 2007/2009. Blue was a member of the Artistas de la Academia del Palau de les Arts from 2009 to 2010, under Maestros Alberto Zedda, Lorin Maazel, and Zubin Mehta.[5]
Pageants edit
Blue is a former model and beauty queen. She was the first African-American to hold the title of Miss Apple Valley, California.[6] She was crowned Miss Hollywood in 2005, and finished 2nd runner up at the Miss California contest that same year.[7] Blue was the 1st runner up to both Miss California in 2006 and Miss Nevada in 2007.[8]
Career edit
She has performed lead roles and as a featured soloist at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House, Vienna State Opera, Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Colburn School, Royce Hall, the Staples Center, Theater an der Wien, Frankfurt Opera, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Israeli Philharmonic, Auditorio Nacional de Música, Seoul Arts Center.[4][9]
Her operatic repertoire includes such roles as Violetta (La traviata), Musetta and Mimì (La bohème), Micaëla (Carmen), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Liu (Turandot), Manon (Manon), Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Giulietta and Antonia (The Tales of Hoffmann), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni).
Blue has sung the national anthem for the Border Governors Conference, hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and for the California Women's Conference, hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver.[10]
In the 2008/09 season, Blue made her debut with the San Francisco Opera Company as Clara in Porgy and Bess; she was the featured soloist with the Valdosta Symphony in Valdosta, Georgia, where she sang the soprano role in Arthur Honegger's King David; and she also performed scenes from La traviata (Violetta) with the Korean Symphony Orchestra Germany in Seoul and Busan, Korea. In the 2009/10 season, she was a featured soloist with the Riverside Philharmonic; the Adrian Symphony in Adrian, Michigan; Giro Italia tour with Alberto Zedda throughout Italy; Madrilenos por Haiti concert with La Orquesta Clasica de Espana in Madrid; A Gala Evening with Thomas Hampson in Budapest, Hungary; and she made her debut at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía as Micaëla in Carmen, opposite Marcelo Álvarez and Elīna Garanča, conducted by Zubin Mehta. Throughout the 2010/11 season, Blue enjoyed engagements with the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain; the American Youth Symphony; the Redlands Symphony; and the Theatre an der Wien in Vienna, Austria where she sang the role of Giulietta in the Tales of Hoffmann directed by Oscar-winning director William Friedkin. She began touring with Plácido Domingo in 2011 opening the Kaufmann Center in Kansas City, Missouri; the Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman, and concerts in Beijing, China, as well as Zagreb, Croatia. In 2020 she sang Bess in Porgy and Bess with the Metropolitan Opera in New York for their first performance of that opera in 30 years.
Blue was a finalist in Operalia 2009, receiving 1st place in the Zarzuela competition, and 2nd place in the Opera competition. In July 2010, Blue was honored to be a part of the 17th Annual Verbier Festival in Switzerland, where she sang in an "Operalia Tribute" Concert sponsored by Rolex. She has also received awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Auditions, A.E.I.O.U Italian Educators Vocal Competition, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion's Emerging Young Entertainers Award, and the Redlands Bowl Competition.
In upcoming seasons Blue revisits Clara in Porgy and Bess in concert with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle; returns to the Frankfurt Opera as the Dritte Norn in Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung; and performs Musetta, La bohème, for the English National Opera. Concert performances will take place in Europe, including Carmina Burana at the Maggio Musicale with Zubin Mehta, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Munich Philharmonic, Verdi's Greatest Hits concert with the Santa Barbara Symphony, Verdi Requiem with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Raphael Frühbeck de Burgos, and the release of her first solo album with British pianist Iain Burnside. She was the only soloist invited to sing for the American Friends of the Israeli Philharmonic in a Tribute Concert to honor the film composer Hans Zimmer.
In the United Kingdom, she has been seen at the Edinburgh Festival in the title role in Alban Berg's Lulu, Musetta in La bohème at the English National Opera in 2013 and as Mimì in 2014. Melvyn Bragg did a feature on his critically acclaimed documentary series of the South Bank Show which aired on Sky Arts on June 19, 2014. Blue has been a favorite in magazines such as The Times, TimeOut, The Telegraph, BBC's InTune with Sean Rafferty. She was the guest judge for the BBC Choir Competition of the Year final in December 2014. In 2015 she co-hosted the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition with Petroc Trelawny and the BBC broadcast of Prom 13 (Holst, Boulez) at the Royal Albert Hall, also with Trelawny.[citation needed]
She made her Metropolitan Opera début in 2017 as Mimì in La bohème.[11]
She was supposed to perform Knoxville: Summer of 1915 by Samuel Barber and This is Not a Small Voice by Valerie Coleman as part of BBC Proms on 8 September 2022, but the performance was cancelled due to the death of Elizabeth II (thus de facto ending 2022 Prom on September 8, 2022).
Repertoire edit
This article contains a list that has not been properly sorted. Specifically, it does not follow the Manual of Style for lists of works (often, though not always, due to being in reverse-chronological order). See MOS:LISTSORT for more information. (December 2022) |
Opera edit
This article may contain unverified or indiscriminate information in embedded lists. (December 2022) |
| Year | Role | Opera | Location | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Violetta | La traviata | Houston Grand Opera | Giuseppe Verdi |
| 2022 | Violetta | La traviata | Royal Opera House | Giuseppe Verdi |
| 2021 | Bess | Porgy and Bess | Metropolitan Opera | George Gershwin |
| 2021 | Destiny/Greta/Loneliness | Fire Shut Up in My Bones | Metropolitan Opera | Terence Blanchard |
| 2020 | Bess | Porgy and Bess | Metropolitan Opera | George Gershwin |
| 2019 | Mimì | La bohème | Hamburg State Opera | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2019 | Bess | Porgy and Bess | Metropolitan Opera | George Gershwin |
| 2019 | Tosca | Tosca | Aix-en-Provence Festival | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2019 | Mimì | La bohème | Canadian Opera Company | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2019 | Violetta | La traviata | Teatro alla Scala | Giuseppe Verdi |
| 2019 | Violetta | La traviata | Royal Opera House | Giuseppe Verdi |
| 2018 | Musetta | La bohème | Metropolitan Opera | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2018 | Bess | Porgy and Bess | Seattle Opera | George Gershwin |
| 2018 | Marguerite | Faust (opera) | Portland Opera | Charles Gounod |
| 2018 | Violetta | La traviata | Manitoba Opera | Giuseppe Verdi |
| 2018 | Liu | Turandot | San Diego Opera | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2017 | Mimì | La bohème | Metropolitan Opera | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2017 | Mimi | La bohème | Semperoper | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2017 | Myrtle Wilson | The Great Gatsby | Semperoper | John Harbison |
| 2017 | Violetta | La traviata | Seattle Opera | Giuseppe Verdi |
| 2016 | Clara | Porgy and Bess | Teatro alla Scala | George Gershwin |
| 2016 | Helena | Mefistofeles | Baden-Baden | Arrigo Boito |
| 2016 | Mimì | La bohème | Semperoper | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2015 | Myrtle Wilson | The Great Gatsby | Semperoper | John Harbison |
| 2015 | Mimì | La bohème | Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía | Giacomo Puccini |
| 2015 | Musetta | La bohème | Teatro alla Scala | Giacomo Puccini |
Concerts edit
| Date | Event | Location | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 30, 2022 | Aida in Concert | Detroit Opera | Detroit, Michigan |
| March 6, 2022 | Angel Blue in Recital | Cal Performances | Berkeley, California |
| February 21, 2022 | Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) | Carnegie Hall | New York |
| February 8, 2022 | The Philadelphia Orchestra | Carnegie Hall | New York |
| February 3, 4, 5, 2022 | Angel Blue sings Barber | Verizon Hall | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| August 7, 2021 | Angel Blue in Concert | Santa Fe Opera | Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| July 28, 2021 | Masterclass with Angel Blue | Opera North | Lebanon, New Hampshire |
| May 28, 2020 | Songs of Summer: An Online Recital Series | Seattle Opera | Lebanon, New Hampshire |
| April 25, 2020 | At-Home Gala | Metropolitan Opera | New York |
| March 5, 6, 7, 2020 | Porgy and Bess in Concert | Verizon Hall | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| January 26, 2020 | The Titus Art Song Recital Series | Moody Performance Hall | Dallas, Texas |
| October 27, 2019 | 2019 Richard Tucker Gala | Carnegie Hall | New York |
| August 8, 2019 | Ravinia Festival | Martin Theatre | Highland Park, Illinois |
| December 19, 2018 | Angel Blue in Recital | Terrace Theater | Washington, D.C. |
| December 15, 2018 | United Nations Ambassadors' Ball | Metropolitan Club | New York |
| November 9, 10, 2018 | One City: Beethoven 9 | Cincinnati, Ohio | |
| October 17, 2018 | A Walt Whitman Sampler Concert | American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall | New York |
News edit
This article may contain unverified or indiscriminate information in embedded lists. (December 2022) |
| Publisher | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|
| BroadwayWorld | April 6, 2022 | BWW Review: La traviata, Royal Opera House |
| SF Classical Voice | March 7, 2022 | Angel Blue Gives a Moving Recital at Cal Performances |
| The New York Times | February 9, 2022 | Zachary Woolfe: "Review: Without a Note of Beethoven, an Orchestra Shines" |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | February 7, 2022 | In Philadelphia Orchestra world premiere, Valerie Coleman-Sonia Sanchez collaboration anchors remarkable night |
| The Santa Fe New Mexican | August 6, 2021 | Soprano Angel Blue promises to soar in Santa Fe |
Awards edit
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (February 2023) |
- Richard Tucker Award, 2022.
- Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for the Metropolitan Opera production of Porgy and Bess in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[1]
- The Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award, 2021
- Beverly Sills Award, Metropolitan Opera, 2020.
In 2009, Blue was a finalist in Operalia, receiving 1st place in the zarzuela competition, and 2nd place in the opera competition.[4][9] She has also received awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion's Emerging Young Entertainers Award, and the Redlands Bowl Competition. Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Achievement Award January 21, 2014, given by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Philanthropy edit
In 2010 Blue was a featured soloist on the Madrileños por Haití concert with the Orquesta Clásica de España in Madrid, Spain. The concert was dedicated to raising funds for housing projects for Haitians who have relocated to the Dominican Republic.[6][12]
In March 2014 Blue took part in the annual AIDS Gala in Düsseldorf, Germany. The gala raised €142,000 to help those affected by AIDS and HIV in both Germany and South Africa.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b "Angel Blue". GRAMMY.com. February 9, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ "Plácido Domingo Festival". Plácido Domingo Festival. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ Winer, Laurie (April 6, 2008). "Soaring Soprano". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c . Music.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ Paulette Brown-Hinds; Cheryl Brown (February 11, 2010). "Angel Blue, Returns to Area, Smashing Success with Philharmonic". Black Voice News. from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ a b c Francisco Salazar (February 6, 2017). "Artist of the Week: Discovering the Art of Angel Joy Blue". OperaWire. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ , misshollywood.com
- ^ . Miss Hollywood Scholarship Pageant. Southern California Scholarship Association. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
- ^ a b "Russians take top prizes at Domingo's Operalia contest". Los Angeles Times. August 6, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ "WE Lead – The Women's Conference". Californiawomen.org. October 26, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ James R. Oestreich (October 3, 2017). "Review: La bohème at the Met Is Grand, Reviled and Beloved". The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ "Concierto Solidario Madrileños por Haití", Fiestas del 2 de Mayo (2010), madrid.org
External links edit
- Media related to Angel Blue at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website