Carol Brice (April 16, 1918 – February 15, 1985) was an American contralto. Born in

Sedalia, North Carolina Sedalia is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 623 at the 2010 census. History The Dr. Joseph A. McLean House and Palmer Memorial Institute Historic District are listed on the National Register of Histo ...

, she studied at

Palmer Memorial Institute The Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute, better known as Palmer Memorial Institute, was a school for upper class African Americans. It was founded in 1902 by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown at Sedalia, North Carolina near Greensboro. Palmer Mem ...

and later at

Talladega College Talladega College is a private historically black college in Talladega, Alabama. It is Alabama's oldest private historically black college and offers 17 degree programs. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. His ...

Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...

, where she received a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of pre ...

in 1939. She continued her studies at the Juilliard School of Music from 1939 to 1943. She attracted considerable attention for her role in a 1939 production of '' The Hot Mikado'' at the New York World's Fair, where she worked with

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

. Brice made her recital debut in 1943, that year becoming the first African-American to win the Walter Naumburg Award. Her concerts often featured the piano accompaniment of her brother, Jonathan Brice. In 1945 she taught briefly at Black Mountain College. She was the featured contralto on the February 5, 1946 recording of

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first ...

's ''

El Amor Brujo ''El amor brujo'' (, "The sorcerer love") is a ballet by Manuel de Falla to a libretto by María de la O Lejárraga García, although for years it was attributed to her husband Gregorio Martínez Sierra. It exists in three versions as well as a p ...

'' conducted by

Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin "Fritz" Reiner (December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to ...

with the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an America ...

. (Columbia Masterworks MM-633, 3 12" 78 RPM discs. Also LP ML-2006). Her performances on Broadway included the role of Kakou in the original 1959 cast of '' Saratoga'', the role of Maude in a 1960 revival of '' Finian's Rainbow'', the role of Catherine Creek in the original 1971 musical production of '' The Grass Harp'', and the role of Maria in a 1976 revival of ''

Porgy & Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', it ...

''. Her opera performances included roles in Clarence Cameron White's ''Ouanga'' and Marc Blitzstein's '' Regina''. Brice began teaching at the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

at Norman in 1974.African-American Registry
She later founded the non-profit Cimarron Circuit Opera Company in Oklahoma with her husband, the baritone Thomas Carey. She supported lynching victim Isaiah Nixon's widow financially after Nixon was killed in 1948. Brice died in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, b ...

of cancer, survived by her husband, brother, two children and six grandchildren.

References

External links

Cimarron Opera (formerly Cimarron Circuit Opera Company)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brice, Carol 1918 births 1985 deaths 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women opera singers African-American women opera singers American operatic contraltos People from Guilford County, North Carolina Singers from North Carolina Talladega College alumni Juilliard School alumni University of Oklahoma faculty Deaths from cancer in Oklahoma Black Mountain College faculty African-American women academics American women academics African-American academics