Barbara Smith Conrad
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Barbara Smith Conrad (August 11, 1937 – May 22, 2017) 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 libr ...
singer. A mezzo-soprano, she performed with 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 oper ...
,
Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...
, Teatro Nacional in Venezuela, and many others. She was also an educator, co-directing the Wagner Theater Program, which she co-founded, and maintaining a private studio as well as taking up multiple artist residencies. Conrad received national attention when, in 1957, her work as a student performer became central in a racial controversy. Cast in a role opposite a white performer, the African-American Conrad was removed from the role at
The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
as a result of pressure on school administration from the
Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ar ...
. Conrad's life has been depicted in the film ''When I Rise'' (2011).


Early years

Born Barbara Louise Smith, the youngest of five children, she was raised in Center Point near
Pittsburg, Texas Pittsburg is a city and the county seat of Camp County, Texas, United States. Best known as the former home of the giant poultry producer Pilgrim's and the home of racing legend Carroll Shelby, Pittsburg is also the birthplace of Cavender's Boot ...
. She was interested in music from early childhood, performing with her siblings in their Baptist church. She entered the University of Texas at Austin in 1956 as one of the first class of African-American undergraduates. The following year, she was cast in the role of Dido, Queen of Carthage, in the student production of ''
Dido and Aeneas ''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncertain. It was com ...
''. Controversy among the student body and fear of bad publicity over her romantic pairing in the role with a white student led Joseph Norwin "Joe" Chapman of the Texas Legislature to advise the university's president to intervene, and the part was taken away from Conrad two weeks before the opera was set to open. Local and student media protested the decision, as did eight other legislators in Texas, and the story was picked up by ''
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''. The national coverage of the controversy and decision led popular singer
Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...
to offer to pay Conrad's way at any institution she chose. Conrad, who had advocated for integration of the University of Texas, elected to remain there despite losing the role and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in 1959. She adopted her father's first name, Conrad, as her stage name when she joined the Equity entertainment labor union because another Barbara Smith was already registered.


Career

Although Conrad did not take up Belafonte's offer to change schools, expenses paid, she benefited from his patronage after graduation, when he introduced her to his circles in New York. Her expenses were paid by
Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
, who had also learned of Conrad through the controversy surrounding the mixed-racial pairing of her role. It began a long career for Conrad, who performed leading roles with many opera companies internationally, including among others the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, Teatro Nacional in Venezuela, Houston Grand Opera,
New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...
, and
Pittsburgh Opera Pittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts Sch ...
. She played a featured role in the 1977
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movie '' Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years'' as American contralto
Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United ...
. She also performed alongside orchestras such as the
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
and the London, Boston, Cleveland, and Detroit symphonies and performed by invitation at both the
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in 1987 and for
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in New York City in 1995. As an educator, Conrad established a private studio, as well as offering artist residencies and master classes. She was a co-founder of the Wagner Theater Program at the Manhattan School of Music, dedicated to training performers for
Wagnerian Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
roles, and served as its vocal director. The University of Texas offers a scholarship in the name of Conrad, whom they named a distinguished alumna in 1985.


Death

On May 22, 2017, Conrad died in
Edison, New Jersey Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It ...
at the age of 79 from complications related to Alzheimer's disease. On June 11, 2017, Conrad was buried in the
Texas State Cemetery The Texas State Cemetery (TSC) is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of the U.S. state of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and vice-president of the Republic of ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
.


Legacy

As part of his tribute to Conrad,
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
President Gregory L. Fenves stated that “Barbara Conrad was a trailblazer — from her Precursor days at UT in 1956 and throughout her distinguished opera career,” and that "Her accomplishments and tenacity represent an important chapter in the university’s history. We will miss her talents and presence on the Forty Acres and beyond." ''Opera Wire'' journalist Katharine Baran paid tribute by acknowledging, among other things, Conrad's esteemed career in New York City. Braun stating that "Conrad, an acclaimed mezzo-soprano, sang at the most esteemed stages across the globe, from New York’s
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 oper ...
to the
Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...
" and that " By 1965, Conrad was appearing with the
New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...
in the lead female role of George Gershwin "Porgy and Bess” and in 1985 she appeared at the Met’s company premiere of “Porgy and Bess” and returned to that opera house often in her career."


''When I Rise''

Conrad is the focus of the feature-length documentary ''When I Rise,'' produced by
James Moll James Moll is an American director and producer of film documentaries and television documentaries. His documentary work has earned him an Academy Award, two Emmys, and a Grammy. Moll's production company, Allentown Productions Inc., has been ...
and Michael Rosen and directed by Mat Hames. Don Carleton, executive director of UT Austin'
Briscoe Center for American History
was the film's executive producer. The documentary was aired on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
in 2011. :Festivals: :* WORLD PREMIERE: South by Southwest Film Festival, Austin, Texas (March 2010) :* Dallas International Film Festival, Dallas, Texas (April 2010) :* Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Toronto, Canada (May 2010) :* Indianapolis International Film Festival (July 2010) :* New York City International Film Festival (August 2010) :* New Orleans Film Festival (October 2010) :* Starz Denver Film Festival (November 2010) :* Santa Barbara International Film Festival (January 2011) :* San Diego Black Film Festival (January 2011) :Awards and nominations: :* Winner: Audience Award Feature - Indianapolis International Film Festival :* Winner: Black Expressions Award - Indianapolis International Film Festival :* Nominee: Music Documentary Award – International Documentary Awards (IDA) :* Winner: Social Justice Award for Documentary Film - The Fund for Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara International Film Festival)


Awards and honors

* 1985: Distinguished Alumnus Award - The Ex-Students' Association of The University of Texas * 1986: Barbara Smith Conrad Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Fine Arts, at The
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
* 2009: Texas House of Representatives passes a Resolution to Honor Barbara Smith Conrad: * 2011: Texas Medal of Arts Awards – Lifetime Achievement * 2013: Life Time Achievement Award, National Black History Month in
Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...
, CA.


References


External links


Barbara Smith Conrad Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Fine Arts
* Crystal D. Davis
"UT Austin, Alumna Heal Racial Wounds"
diverseeducation.com, November 12, 2010

* Jeanne Claire van Ryzin

statesman.com, February 1, 2009 * Robert Faires
"Barbara Smith Conrad: A diva's return, triumphant"
''The Austin Chronicle'', January 30, 2009
"Barbara Smith Conrad; Opera Singer"
(interview), PBS Video
Texas Medal of Arts
*Interview
In Black America; Opera Star Ms. Barbara Conrad
1992-05-25, KUT,
American Archive of Public Broadcasting The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, founded through the efforts of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The AAPB is a national effort to digital ...
(WGBH and the Library of Congress) {{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, Barbara Smith 1937 births 2017 deaths 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women opera singers African-American women opera singers American operatic mezzo-sopranos Classical musicians from Texas People from Camp County, Texas People from Cass County, Texas Singers from Texas 21st-century American women Burials at Texas State Cemetery