Norman Jessye, *15 September 1945 Augusta (Georgia), †30 September 2019 New York, American singer (soprano). In 1967, she completed vocal studies with C. Grant at Howard University in Washington, continued her studies at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and, in 1967–68, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (with, among others, P. Bernac and E. Mannion). In 1968, she won the first prize at the international German radio broadcasting competition (ARD) in Munich and was engaged to the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, where in 1969 she made her debut as Elizabeth in Wagner’s Tannhäuser (later important Wagner roles of Norman to Kundry in Parsifal and Sieglind in Die Walküre). In 1972, she performed at La Scala in Milan (the title role in Verdi’s Aida) and at Covent Garden (Casandra in Berlioz’s Les Troyens). In 1982, she appeared on American stages for the first time (Jocasta in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, Philadelphia); in 1983, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House (Les Troyens); she performed on this stage, among others in Schönberg’s Erwartung (1989), in Wagner’s dramas as Zyglinda (1990) and Kundry (1991), and as Emilia Marta in Jánaček’s The Makropulos Affair (1996). In parallel with performances on opera stages, including at the Aix-en-Provence Festival (Hippolyte et Aricie by Rameau, 1983), at the Opéra-Comique in Paris (Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, 1984) and Covent Garden (R. Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, 1985), Norman toured extensively; her recital programs included romantic German songs, works by French and American composers, as well as Negro spirituals. She created wonderful performances in songs with orchestra, especially Mahler and R. Strauss (Vier letzte Lieder). In the 1980s, she established herself as one of the most outstanding performers of dramatic roles, a singer with a voice with a noble, dark timbre, a wide range (which also enabled the performance of mezzo-soprano parts) and a large dynamic range, as well as the ability to the subtle nuance of colours and moods.
Norman has made numerous recordings for Philips, Decca, DG, EMI, Erato, Sony – among others, operas by J. Haydn (Armida, La vera costanza), W.A. Mozart, Gluck (Alceste), Fauré (Pénélope), R. Strauss (Ariadne auf Naxos, Salome), works by Wagner (Lohengrin, Tristan and Iseult, Valkyrie, Parsifal), vocal symphonies and oratorios by Beethoven, Mahler, M. Tippett (A Child of Our Time), orchestral song cycles by Berlioz (Les nuits d’été), Ravel, Mahler, R. Strauss and Berg. The singer’s recognition was measured by numerous awards, distinctions and honorary doctorates, including universities in Cambridge, Edinburgh, Yale and Howard University.
