Jessye Norman

Jessye Norman, international opera singing superstar, passed away on September 30, 2019. She was 74.

In a statement released to the Associated Press, Norman’s family said she died at 7:54 a.m. E.T. from septic shock and multi-organ failure secondary to complications of a spinal cord injury she had sustained in 2015. The four-time Grammy Award winner was surrounded by loved ones when she died at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York.

The family’s statement read, “We are so proud of Jessye’s musical achievements and the inspiration that she provided to audiences around the world that will continue to be a source of joy. We are equally proud of her humanitarian endeavors addressing matters such as hunger, homelessness, youth development, and arts and culture education.”

Norman was a trailblazer in the opera world not only for being one of the first Black singers to reach that elite level of success in the operatic world, and the sheer spellbinding power of her soprano voice, but for what she gave back to the artistic community. After learning the news of Norman’s death, The Met referred to her in an official statement as “one of the greatest artists to ever sing on our stage.”

Here’s what you need to know about Jessye Norman….

1. Norman Studied College at Howard University

Born in August, Georgia, on September 15, 1945, Norman grew up singing in church, and earned a scholarship to study music at the prestigious, historically Black college located in Washington, D.C. After graduation, she continued her studies at the Peabody Conservatory, and University of Michigan. Later in life, she earned honorary doctorates from numerous elite schools including Julliard, Harvard, and Yale.

University of Michigan Heritage Project@umheritage

#UMich alumna Jessye Norman at Hill Auditorium, 1993.

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7:00 PM – Sep 30, 2019

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Norman made her operatic debut in 1969 in Berlin, performing the role of Elisabeth in Tannhäuser. And throughout her nearly 50 year career, she performed for audiences on the world’s most famous stages such as La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera, where did over 80 shows including works by Poulenc, Janacek, Bartok, Strauss, and Schoenberg.

Her vocal talent was not just limited to singing the classics, she could perform songs by Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, and many other contemporary artists.

2. Norman Is the Youngest Woman to Ever Receive a Kennedy Center Honor

Throughout her 50 year career, Norman was honored with 15 Grammy nominations, was inducted into the Royal Academy of Music, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In France, there’s an orchid named after her, and the country also honored her with the title, Commander of the Order of the Arts.

At age 52, Norman became the youngest woman to receive the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 1997. In 2006, she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The singer wrote a memoir about her life, and being a black artist working her way up in the world of opera entitled Stand Up Straight and Sing, which was released in May 2014.

3. Norman Made a Plea for ‘America the Beautiful’ to be the National Anthem, Because ‘The Star Spangled Banner is Too Hard to Sing’

Yashar Ali ✔@yashar

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Replying to @yashar

3. Here is Jessye Norman with one of my favorite performances of Ave Maria.

I am so, so sad that she’s gone.

74 seems so young.

Yashar Ali ✔@yashar

4. I’ve always loved this clip of Jessye Norman explaining why “The Star Spangled Banner,” should NOT be our national anthem.

She makes the case for “America The Beautiful,” to be the national anthem in the most elegant way.

Gosh, I’m gonna miss her so much.

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6:48 PM – Sep 30, 2019

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In an interview Norman said, “‘The Star Spangled Banner’ carries too much territory. It’s an octave and a fifth, that means you’ve got 13 notes that are incorporated into our national anthem. For a song that is supposed to sung by a general public, one octave is enough.

“The song I wish we had as a national anthem is America the Beautiful. It doesn’t talk about war, it doesn’t talk about anything except the beauty of this land and the joy that we should have in being in this land. It’s a much more beautiful song, even though I understand completely the rousing that happens in the heart from just the opening bars of ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’

4. She Helped Open the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in Her Hometown

Jessye Norman

In addition to performing “America the Beautiful” at the new World Trade Center unveiling, and donating thousands of records, documents and photographs to the Library of Congress, there are two institutions that bear Norman’s name. In 2003, the singer partnered up with the Rachel Longstreet Foundation to open the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in her hometown of Augusta. The school was established for economically disadvantaged students who want to study the arts and music.

Also in her honor, Augusta named their musical arena Jessye Norman Amphitheater, which is located on the Savannah River.

5. Famous Musicians, Artists and Writers from All Over the World Mourn Her Death

Karine Jean-Pierre✔@K_JeanPierre

Rest in Power, Jessye Norman, a magnificent talent, an international opera star.

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7:43 PM – Sep 30, 2019

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For Norman, age 74 was too young to go, and the news of her death caused an outpouring of love and tributes on Twitter from some of the world’s most famous fellow singers and artists. Craig Mazin, write and director of HBO’s Emmy Award winning series Chernobyl, nailed it when he referred to her as the “Gretzky” and “Babe Ruth” of opera. Tony Award winner and Broadway legend Audra McDonald called her “otherworldly.”

Craig Mazin✔@clmazin

We celebrate great athletes. Well, great singers are like vocal athletes… physicality and innate talent and mental acuity all wrapped up in one…

Jessye Norman was Jordanesque. She was Babe Ruth. She was Gretsky. The things she could do….https://youtu.be/0S1Pquq0ic0  https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1178798654930526208 …

 YouTube ‎@YouTube

Yashar Ali ✔@yashar

1. Jessye Norman, the international opera star, dead at 74

An icon, a trailblazer, and a hero to so many people in music, especially Opera.

This is devastating. https://apnews.com/b486761f80434b1f8d963c41090ad57d?utm_medium=AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter …

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6:41 PM – Sep 30, 2019

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Dan Rather✔@DanRather

We live in an age where we need art more than ever, to uplift our world with the beauty of the human spirit. Few could summon the angels like the soprano Jessye Norman. A uniquely American voice that broke barriers and moved hearts. We will miss her dearly. May she Rest in Peace.

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6:40 PM – Sep 30, 2019

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Metropolitan Opera✔@MetOpera

The Met mourns the loss of Jessye Norman (1945–2019), one of the great sopranos of the past half-century, who sang more than 80 unforgettable performances with the company. We extend our condolences to Ms. Norman’s family and friends. http://bit.ly/2nVisQ1 
Photo: Met Archives

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7:13 PM – Sep 30, 2019

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Audra McDonald✔@AudraEqualityMc

She was otherworldly. https://youtu.be/O3vGVR770WE 

 YouTube ‎@YouTube

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6:41 PM – Sep 30, 2019

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Jason Moran✔@morethan88

The voice the voice the voice ! Thank you Jessye Norman . May we all understand that we are in a line, a continuum. We do not have to start over, but we do have to keep going. The phrases she sang charged the air. With deep appreciation.

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6:33 PM – Sep 30, 2019

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