Price Mary Violet Leontyne, *10 February 1927 Laurel (Mississippi), American singer (soprano). She studied at Negro Central State College in Wilberforce (Ohio) and Juilliard School of Music in New York in the class of F. Page Kimball (1949–52). In 1952, she debuted on Broadway in the opera Four Saints in Three Acts by V. Thomson. She gained recognition as Bess in Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess, performed in Dallas in 1952 and for two years in the United States and Europe. Price returned to the stage in 1957. She sang Madame Lidoive in the American premiere of F. Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites in San Francisco, then enjoyed success in the title role in Verdi’s Aida at opera houses in Chicago, San Francisco and at La Scala in Milan (1957), at the Arena in Verona (1957–58), at Covent Garden, the Paris Opera and the Deutsche Oper in Berlin (1958–59). In 1958, she sang the title role in the American premiere of C. Orff’s Die Kluge in San Francisco. From that year on, she appeared regularly at the Staatsoper in Vienna. She achieved particular successes under the baton of H. von Karajan at the Salzburg Festivals as Donna Anna in W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni (1960–61), Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore (1962–63, 1974) and others. In 1961–85, she was associated with the Metropolitan Opera House – she made her debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore, sang the title role in the world premiere of S. Barber’s opera Anthony and Cleopatra during the opening of the new building at Lincoln Centre in New York (16 September 1966). She last appeared on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, creating the role of Aida. Price was a valued prima donna, the first black singer to achieve such a high position in the history of this theatre. She sang mainly soprano parts, including in operas by Monteverdi, Handel, Mozart and Puccini, but it was Verdi’s works that gained her the greatest recognition. Price’s song repertoire, presented in many recitals, almost always included Negro spirituals. Price has made numerous recordings of operas, oratorios and songs (RCA, Decca).
Literature: H.L. Lyon Leontyne Price. Highlights of a Prima Donna, New York 1973.
