Photo: Jack Mitchell / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Leontyne Price is one of those names that carries genuine historical weight. Born in 1927 in Laurel, Mississippi, she became the first African-American soprano to win international acclaim, and from 1961 forged a lasting bond with the Metropolitan Opera as the first Black singer to sustain that relationship. The honors speak for themselves, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honors and more. What moves me is that she broke barriers at the very top of an unforgiving art form purely on the strength of her voice. A true pioneer, and a voice for the ages.
Overview
Leontyne Price ( LEE-ən-teen, lee-ON-teen; born Mary Violet Leontine Price, February 10, 1927) is an American singer who was the first African-American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, becoming the first Black singer to maintain a sustained relationship with the company.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Leontyne Price
- Name (Japanese)
- レオンティン・プライス
- Reading
- れおんてぃん・ぷらいす
- Born
- February 10, 1927 (age 99)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Rabbit
- Origin
- Laurel, Mississippi, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- opera singer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Central State University
Awards & achievements
- 1965 Spingarn Medal
- National Medal of Arts
- 1989 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2003 Gramophone Award for Lifetime Achievement
- Library of Congress Living Legend
- 1964 Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Kennedy Center Honors
- Emmy Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Opera singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.