Othalie Graham is a Canadian and American

dramatic soprano A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a ...

, known for operatic roles such as Turandot in ''

Turandot ''Turandot'' (; see below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, posthumously completed by Franco Alfano in 1926, and set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. ''Turandot'' best-known aria is " Nessun dorma", ...

'', Tosca in ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language drama ...

'', Minnie in ''

La fanciulla del West ''La fanciulla del West'' (''The Girl of the West'') is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by and , based on the 1905 play '' The Girl of the Golden West'' by the American author David Belasco. ''Fanciulla'' follow ...

'', Aida in ''

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 Decemb ...

'', Elektra in '' Elektra'' and Ariadne in ''

Ariadne Auf Naxos (''Ariadne on Naxos''), Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's ...

''.

Early years

Graham was born in

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it ...

, Ontario. Her father, a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n-born Canadian, instilled in Graham a strong identification with Jamaican music and culture. When Graham was young, her father sparked her interest in opera by taking her to see a

Leontyne Price Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she was the first Af ...

recital.Shengold, David. (October 28, 2004) Citypaper.net.
Othalie Graham.
'' Her passion in opera grew while attending high school at the

Etobicoke School of the Arts The Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA) is a specialized public arts-academic high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in Etobicoke, it has been housed in the former Royal York Collegiate Institute facility since 1983. Founded on September ...

. While in Canada, Graham was awarded first place in the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Competition and received the coveted Jean Chalmers prize in the Canadian Music Competition.The Festival Opera Association. (2006)
Othalie Graham bio.
'' Accessed July 19, 2007. Graham attended the

Academy of Vocal Arts The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) is a school dedicated to providing higher education to aspiring opera singers. It is the only tuition-free institution in the world devoted solely to operatic training and performance. The school was founded in 1934 ...

North, Cheryl. (July 6, 2006)

The Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the decli ...

Can't go wrong with a masterwork by Puccini.
' Section: Cheryl North. after studying under Lois McDonall. At AVA, she studied under Bill Schuman and continues to study with him. Graham has won the Opera at Florham voice competition as well as the Liederkranz Foundations's annual competition, where she made her

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

recital A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety ...

debut. She was also the New Jersey district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a finalist in the Palm Beach Opera Competition. Graham also spent a summer training under the widely admired

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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 libr ...

singer

Renata Scotto Renata Scotto (born 24 February 1934) is an Italian soprano and opera director. Recognized for her sense of style, her musicality, and as a remarkable singer-actress, Scotto is considered one of the preeminent singers of her generation. Since ...

at the Renata Scotto Opera Academy at the Music Conservatory of Westchester.

Career

Graham started her professional career in October 2004 in the title role of

Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

at OperaDelaware,Rowe, Georgia. (July 6, 2006)

Contra Costa Times The ''East Bay Times'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, United States, owned by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of Media News Group, that serves Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the East ...

. '' eorgia Rowe: Classical Notes: "Tosca" fits soprano perfectly.' Section: Features; Page F4. a roll in which she repeated at the Utah Festival Opera. Her performance was well received, with one reviewer writing she "has a huge, powerful voice that fills the auditorium and navigates the musical difficulties beautifully" another writing, "a statuesque soprano with both power and sweetness in a disciplined voice." In 2005, she was awarded the prestigious Sullivan Foundation Grant. In 2006, her performance in the production of "Turandot" at the Sacramento Opera was identified as the single reason that its success was never in question. In July 2006, Graham added title role of Floria Tosca in

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

's opera ''

.'' In 2007, Graham added the role of Odabella in Attila as part of her

Sarasota Opera Sarasota Opera is a professional opera company in Sarasota, Florida, USA, which was founded as the Asolo Opera Guild and, until 1974, presented a visiting company's productions. Between 1974 and 1979, it set about mounting its own productions in t ...

debut, where she "blasted Young-Bok Kim's Attila off his throne" with "a big wagnerian voice." On September 25, 2007, Her performance of "Aida" at

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Opera House An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

was amazing having critic Paul Westman saying "At the end of the scene I was blown out of my seat by the loudest E flat that I have ever heard in my life! The interesting thing is that the note did not "sound HIGH" to my ear as it usually does at end of a cabaletta. It was huge and cut through the opera house like a laser beam!".Westman, Paul. (September 25, 2007) OperaStuff
Awards

* First place in the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Competition * Jean Chalmers prize in the Canadian Music Competition * Winner of Edward Johnson Competition * Winner of Opera at Florham Voice Competition * Winner of Liederkranz Society Competition in Wagner division * New Jersey district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions * Finalist in Palm Beach Opera Competition * Sullivan Foundation Grant recipient * First place winner in the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition in Wagner Division * First place winner of the Joyce Dutka Competition

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Othalie Living people
Canadian operatic sopranos American operatic sopranos Musicians from Brampton Academy of Vocal Arts alumni Etobicoke School of the Arts alumni 1977 births 21st-century Canadian women opera singers 21st-century American women opera singers