Photo: Gotfryd, Bernard, photographer / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Jessye Norman

ジェシー・ノーマン　/　じぇしー・のーまん

American opera singer

September 15, 1945 – September 30, 2019　・　Augusta, Georgia, United States

Born in Georgia
Opera singer

My Take

Norman is one of those voices that makes you understand why people call opera a complete art form. The sheer size and warmth of her instrument was extraordinary, but what gets me is the control underneath all that power, the way she could float a pianissimo just as convincingly as she filled a hall. Her Strauss and Wagner are reference recordings for me, yet I keep coming back to her spirituals, where the operatic technique meets something deeply personal and rooted. She carried herself with a regal seriousness about the music that never tipped into coldness. A genuine American institution, and one I think is still underappreciated outside classical circles.

Overview

Jessye Norman (1945-2019) was an American opera singer regarded as one of the great dramatic sopranos of her generation. Born in Augusta, Georgia, and trained at Howard University, she earned international acclaim for her commanding voice in works by Wagner, Strauss, and Schoenberg, as well as in spirituals and recital repertoire. Honored with the National Medal of Arts, Kennedy Center Honors, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, she remained a towering figure in classical music until her death in 2019.

1. Profile

Name (English): Jessye Norman
Name (Japanese): ジェシー・ノーマン
Reading: じぇしー・のーまん
Born: September 15, 1945 – September 30, 2019
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Virgo / Rooster
Origin: Augusta, Georgia, United States
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: Opera singer

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Private
University: Howard University

Awards & achievements

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commander)
2013 Spingarn Medal
National Medal of Arts
2006 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Wolf Prize in Arts
Kennedy Center Honors
1990 Honorary Doctorate, Laval University
1989 Legion of Honour (Chevalier)

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A7%E3%82%B7%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8E%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3

Opera singer — see all →　·　More people from United States →