George Irving Shirley (born April 18, 1934) is an American operatic tenor, and was the first African-American tenor to perform a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Shirley was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a bachelor's degree in music education from Wayne State University in 1955 and then was drafted into the Army, where he became the first Black member of the United States Army Chorus. [1] He was also the first African American hired to teach music in Detroit high schools. [2] [3]
After continuing voice studies with Therny Georgi, he moved to New York and began his professional career as a singer. His debut was with a small opera group in Woodstock as Eisenstein in Strauss's Die Fledermaus in 1959, [3] and his European debut in Italy as Rodolfo in Puccini's La bohème. [1] In 1960, at 26, he won a National Arts Club scholarship competition, [4] and the following April he was the first Black singer to win the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions scholarship competition. [5] Shirley is the first Black tenor and the second Black male to sing leading roles for the Metropolitan Opera. [2] He sang there for 11 seasons.
Shirley has also appeared at The Royal Opera, London; the Deutsche Oper Berlin; the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires; the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam; Opéra de Monte-Carlo; the New York City Opera; the Scottish Opera; the Lyric Opera of Chicago; the Washington National Opera; the Michigan Opera Theatre; the San Francisco Opera; and the Santa Fe Opera and Glyndebourne Festival summer seasons, as well as with numerous orchestras in the United States and Europe. [6] He has sung more than 80 roles. [7]
He was on the faculty of the University of Maryland from 1980 to 1987, when he moved to the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where he was Director of the Vocal Arts Division. He currently serves as the Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Professor of Music, and still maintains a studio at the school. [1]
In 1968, Shirley won a Grammy Award for his performance in the role Ferrando in the RCA recording of Mozart's Così fan tutte. [1] He has three times been a master teacher in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program for Young NATS Teachers, and taught dozens of up-and-coming vocalists for ten years at the Aspen Music Festival and School. [7] Shirley produced a series of programs for WQXR-FM radio in New York on Classical Music and the Afro-American [2] and hosted a four-program series on WETA-FM radio in Washington, D.C. called Unheard, Unsung. [6] Shirley has been awarded honorary degrees by Wilberforce University, Montclair State College, Lake Forest College, and the University of Northern Iowa. [2] He is a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity. [2] [6] [8] In 2013, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, of which he is a member, named him a Signature Sinfonian, an award recognizing exceptional accomplishment in the fraternity member's chosen field. [9] One his highest honors came in 2015 when Mr. Shirley received the National Medal of Arts, bestowed upon him by US President Barack Obama. [10] The following year in 2016, he was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award during the National Opera Association's annual convention. [11] Shirley was presented with the William Warfield Legacy Award in 2019 for his dedication to the advancement of African American classical vocalists and the legacy of William Warfield. [12]
[Composer: work (other singers; ensembles; conductor), label, recording or publication date.]