La Julia Rhea (March 16, 1898 – July 5, 1992) was an American
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
tic
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
.
Biography
Early life and career
Rhea was born and raised in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
and began singing publicly at the Hill Street Baptist Church of that city, where she was a member of the children's choir. In 1925 she went to Chicago and became a member of the
R. Nathaniel Dett Club of Music and Allied Arts and attended and graduated from
Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.
History
Founding
Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicago Academy of Music. The institution h ...
. Her professional debut was at Chicago's
Kimball Hall in 1929, and she continued to make regular concert performances across the United States as she studied operatic roles in a period that lasted more than two decades.
Notable appearances
After a 1927 performance of "O Don Fatale" from
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''
Don Carlos
''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...
'' for the Dett Club Scholarship Fund at Pittsburgh's Grace Presbyterian Church , the columnist Sylvester Russell had this to say, "As a vocalist... Madam Rhea is a genuine contralto of wonderful range and power, hardly excelled in richness and as the star of the occasion she occupies a place among the greatest human voices produced." In the early 1930s Rhea toured the country with
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her not ...
in the stage production of ''Rhapsody in Black'', and was for a time the feature soloist of the
Cecil Mack
Cecil Mack (November 6, 1873 – August 1, 1944) was an American composer, lyricist and music publisher.
Biography
Born as Richard Cecil McPherson in Portsmouth, Virginia, he attended the Norfolk Mission College and Lincoln University in Pennsyl ...
Choir.
At a time when black performers found it difficult to appeal to a wider audience, Rhea was presented by her teacher Romano Romani to the executive staff of the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
, where in 1934 she became the "first person of her race to be granted an audition at the famous opera house". Although she was "highly praised for her artistic presentation,", the Met would wait until 1955 when Marian Anderson would become its first black star.
After her performance on May 13, 1935 of a song as the character Josephine in
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
's
H.M.S. Pinafore
''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...
, Rhea won over 6,000 votes from the audience and became the first black winner of an audition of the
Major Bowes Amateur Hour
The ''Major Bowes Amateur Hour'' was an American radio talent show broadcast in the 1930s and 1940s, created and hosted by Edward Bowes (1874–1946). Selected performers from the program participated in touring vaudeville performances, under ...
, and toured with the group under the name Rea Parada.
Her experience at the Met notwithstanding, Rhea became the first black performer to star in "the title role of a major opera company" when in Chicago on December 27, 1937 she appeared in
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''
Aida
''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...
'' with
William Franklin
William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial Gov ...
as
Amonasro
''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decembe ...
in a performance of the
Chicago Civic Opera
The Civic Opera Company (1922–1931) was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theatre from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financi ...
Company. In attendance for the performance was the drama critic for the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' Cecil Smith, who commented: "A musical event without parallel in grand opera in America took place at the
Civic Opera House
The Civic Opera House, also called Lyric Opera House is an opera house located at 20 North Wacker Drive in Chicago. The Civic's main performance space, named for Ardis Krainik, seats 3,563, making it the second-largest opera auditorium in North ...
last night when two colored singers, La Julia Rhea and William Franklin, sang the Ethiopian roles of Aida and Amonasro in a special performance of ''Aida'' ... Both singers won a goodly success and were warmly applauded." The costume Rhea wore for that performance was a gift from her teacher and mentor, the internationally renowned opera star
Rosa Raisa
Rosa Raisa (30 May 189328 September 1963) was a Polish-born and Italian-trained Russian-Jewish dramatic operatic soprano who became a naturalized American. She possessed a voice of remarkable power and was the creator of the title role of Pucci ...
, who had herself worn it at her debut performance of ''Aida'' in 1914. Both Rhea and Franklin appeared in productions of the
National Negro Opera Company
The National Negro Opera Company (1941–1962) was the first African-American opera company in the United States.
Organized in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under the direction of Mary Cardwell Dawson, the company was launched with a performance at t ...
(NNOC), as well as in operettas by
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
. The production of ''Aida'' in which Rhea made the inaugural performance of the National Negro Opera Company in 1941 was organized by the NNOC Guild as part of Pittsburgh's
National Association of Negro Musicians
The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. is one of the oldest organizations in the United States dedicated to the preservation, encouragement, and advocacy of all genres of the music of African-Americans. NANM had its beginning on May 3, ...
annual meeting.
Mary Cardwell Dawson organized the event.
In 1942 she appeared with Chicago Mayor
Edward J. Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly (May 1, 1876October 20, 1950) was an American politician who served as the 46th Mayor of Chicago from April 17, 1933 until April 15, 1947.
Prior to being mayor of Chicago, Kelly served as chief engineer of the Chicago Sani ...
,
Olivia de Havilland
Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...
,
Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to Spiritual (music), spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throu ...
,
Oscar G. Mayer, Sr. and other presenters at the
International Amphitheatre
The International Amphitheatre was an indoor arena located in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1934 and was demolished in 1999. It was located on the west side of Halsted Street, at 42nd Street, on the city's south side, in the Canaryville nei ...
in Chicago to sell
bonds during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
under the auspices of the Chicago Musical War Rally.
Later life
After she no longer gave public performances, Rhea continued her involvement in the world of opera by giving private lessons to young opera hopefuls at her home in Blue Island, where she was known for her annual lawn parties that were attended by musicians from across the country. She also appeared from time to time over the public airwaves.
References
Further reading
* ''The Music of Black Americans: A History''.
Eileen Southern
Eileen Jackson Southern (February 19, 1920 – October 13, 2002) was an American musicologist, researcher, author, and teacher. Southern's research focused on black American musical styles, musicians, and composers; she also published on ea ...
. W. W. Norton & Company; 3rd edition.
* ''African American Concert Singers Before 1950''. Darryl Glenn Nettles. McFarland; 2003
* ''Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, Volume 2''. Jack Salzman, David L. Smith,
Cornel West
Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, political activist, social critic, actor, and public intellectual. The grandson of a Baptist minister, West focuses on the role of race, gender, and class in American society and ...
. Macmillan Library Reference, 1996
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhea, La Julia
American operatic sopranos
20th-century African-American women singers
20th-century American women opera singers
African-American women opera singers
1898 births
1992 deaths
Singers from Chicago
People from Blue Island, Illinois
Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky
Singers from Kentucky
Kentucky women musicians
Classical musicians from Illinois