Kathleen Battle
Kathleen Battle | |
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Laurence Olivier Award |
Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone.[1][2] Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances with major orchestras during the early and mid-1970s. She made her opera debut in 1975. Battle expanded her repertoire into lyric soprano and coloratura soprano roles during the 1980s and early 1990s, until her eventual dismissal from the Metropolitan Opera in 1994. She later has focused on recording and the concert stage. After a 22-year absence from the Met, Battle performed a concert of spirituals at the Metropolitan Opera House in November 2016.[3]
Life and career
Early years and musical education
Battle was born in
Battle was awarded a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied voice with Franklin Bens and also worked with Italo Tajo.[5] She majored in music education, and proceeded to a master's degree in Music Education. In 1971 she began a teaching career at an inner-city public school in Cincinnati, continuing to study voice privately while teaching 5th and 6th grade music. Later, she studied singing with Daniel Ferro in New York.[6]
1970s
In 1972, her second year as a teacher, a friend and fellow church choir member phoned her and informed her that the conductor Thomas Schippers was holding auditions in Cincinnati. At her audition Schippers engaged her to sing as the soprano soloist in Brahms' German Requiem at the 1972 Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Her performance there on July 9, 1972 marked the beginning of her professional career.[7][8] During the next several years, Battle would go on to sing in several more orchestral concerts in New York, Los Angeles, and Cleveland.[5] In 1973 she was awarded a grant from the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music to support her career. William Mullen, managing director of the Santa Fe Concert Association was on the panel of judges who made the award. In 2004 he recalled:
We would meet monthly, listen to up-and-coming concert artists and give money to deserving artists for further study. A very young Kathleen Battle sang for us. The other judges thought her voice was too small, but I thought she had an incredible ability to communicate through music. I talked the other judges into giving her a grant.[9]
Thomas Schippers introduced Kathleen Battle to his fellow conductor
1980s
Throughout the 1980s, Battle performed in recitals, choral works and opera. Her work continued to take her to performance venues around the world. In 1980 she made her
During this period, she received three
1990s
The 1990s saw projects ranging from a concert program and a CD devoted to
In 1990, Battle and
In December 1993 she was joined by Martin Katz and Kenny Barron on piano and Grady Tate (drums), Grover Washington Jr. (saxophone) and David Williams (bass) at Carnegie Hall for a concert featuring the music of Handel, Haydn, and Duke Ellington as well as Christmas spirituals.[21] During this time she also collaborated with other musicians including trumpeter Wynton Marsalis in a recording of baroque arias entitled, Baroque Duet; violinist Itzhak Perlman on an album of Bach arias; and flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal for a recital at Alice Tully Hall (also released on CD). In May 1993 Battle added pop music to her repertoire with the release of Janet Jackson's album Janet, lending her vocals to the song "This Time". An album of Japanese melodies, First Love, followed in November 1993.
On the opera stage, she performed in a variety of Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti operas.[22] Between 1990 and 1993, she performed in several productions at the Metropolitan Opera: Rosina in The Barber of Seville (1990), Pamina in The Magic Flute (1991 and 1993), and Adina (with Luciano Pavarotti as Nemorino) in L'elisir d'amore (1991, 1992, and the Met's 1993 Japan Tour).[15] She also won her fifth Grammy Award in 1993, singing the title role of Semele on the Deutsche Grammophon recording conducted by John Nelson.[23]
Although Battle gave several critically praised performances at the Metropolitan Opera during the early 1990s, her relationship with the company's management showed increasing signs of strain during those years.[24] As Battle's status grew, so did her reputation for being difficult and demanding.[25] In October 1992 when she opened the Boston Symphony Orchestra season, she reportedly banned an assistant conductor and other musicians from her rehearsals, changed hotels several times, and left behind what a report in The Boston Globe called "a froth of ill will".[25] In February 1994, during rehearsals for an upcoming production of La fille du régiment at the Metropolitan Opera, Battle was said to have subjected her fellow performers to "withering criticism" and made "almost paranoid demands that they not look at her."[26] General Manager Joseph Volpe responded by dismissing Battle from the production for "unprofessional actions" during rehearsals. Volpe called Battle's conduct "profoundly detrimental to the artistic collaboration among all the cast members" and indicated that he had "canceled all offers that have been made for the future."[25] Any input from Metropolitan Opera music director James Levine, Battle’s close friend and collaborator for 20 years, is shrouded in mystery. Battle was replaced in Donizetti's La fille du régiment by Harolyn Blackwell.[27] At the time of her termination from the Met, Michael Walsh of Time magazine reported that "the cast of The Daughter of the Regiment applauded when it was told during rehearsal that Battle had been fired."[26] After she sang with the San Francisco Opera at this time, several backstage workers wore T-shirts that read: "I survived the Battle".[28]
In a statement released by her management company, Columbia Artists, Battle said: "I was not told by anyone at the Met about any unprofessional actions. To my knowledge, we were working out all of the artistic problems in the rehearsals, and I don't know the reason behind this unexpected dismissal. All I can say is I am saddened by this decision."[25] Since then, Battle has not performed in opera.
For the remainder of the decade, she worked extensively in the recording studio and on the concert stage. She was a featured guest artist on the May 1994 album
2000–present
Battle has continued to pursue a number of diverse projects including the works of composers who are not associated with traditional classical music, performing the works of Vangelis, Stevie Wonder, and George Gershwin.
In August 2000, she performed an all-Schubert program at Ravinia.
On April 16, 2008, she sang an arrangement of the
After a 22-year absence from the Metropolitan Opera House, Battle performed a concert of spirituals at the Met in November 2016. Battle is scheduled to perform a recital at the Metropolitan Opera on May 12, 2024.[3]
Major debuts
- Professional debut: soprano soloist in Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, Festival dei Due Mondi, Spoleto, Italy, July 9, 1972.
- Uris Theatre, New York City, October 1975.[40]
- Operatic debut: Rosina in Michigan Opera Theatre, 1975.
- New York City Opera company debut: Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, 1976.
- San Francisco Opera company debut: Oscar in Un ballo in maschera (Kurt Herbert Adler, conductor), November 12, 1977.[22]
- Metropolitan Opera company debut: Shepherd in Tannhäuser (James Levine, conductor), December 22, 1977.[15]
- UK debut and Glyndebourne Festival Opera debut: Nerina in La fedeltà premiata, July 15, 1979.[11]
- Lyric Opera of Chicago company debut: Oscar in Un ballo in maschera (John Pritchard, conductor), November 26, 1980.[41]
- Salzburg Festival debut and Salzburg opera debut: Despina in Così fan tutte (Riccardo Muti, conductor), July 28, 1982.[13]
- Salzburg Festival solo recital debut: August 25, 1984.[13]
- Royal Opera, London company debut: Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, June 17, 1985.[42]
- Carnegie Hall solo recital debut: April 27, 1991.[19]
Repertoire
Choral and symphonic
Major oratorio, choral, and symphonic works in which Battle has performed as a soloist:
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Opera
Battle has portrayed the following roles on stage:
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Concert and recital
Battle's concert and recital repertoire encompasses a wide array of music including classical, jazz, and crossover works. Her jazz and crossover repertoire includes the compositions of
Major collaborations
Among the conductors with whom Battle has worked are
In recital, she has been accompanied on the piano by various accompanists including Margo Garrett, Martin Katz, Warren Jones, James Levine, Joel Martin, Ken Noda, Sandra Rivers, Howard Watkins, Dennis Helmrich, JJ Penna, and Ted Taylor. Collaborations with other classical artists include flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal, soprano Jessye Norman, mezzo-sopranos Frederica von Stade and Florence Quivar, violinist Itzhak Perlman, baritone Thomas Hampson, tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and guitarist Christopher Parkening.
Away from the classical side, she has worked with vocalists Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin, Alicia Keys, and James Ingram, jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., jazz pianists Cyrus Chestnut and Herbie Hancock. Battle also lent voice to the song "This Time" on Janet Jackson's album Janet and sang the title song, "Lovers", for the 2004 Chinese action movie, House of Flying Daggers.[44] She also performs the music of Stevie Wonder.[34]
Awards and honors
- Grammy, Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance for Kathleen Battle Sings Mozart, 1986.[45]
- Grammy, Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance for Salzburg Recital, 1987.[45]
- Grammy, Best Opera Recording for Richard Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos, 1987.[45]
- Royal Opera, London, 1985.[46]
- Grammy, Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance for Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall (Handel, Mozart, Liszt, Strauss, etc.), 1992.[45]
- Emmy, Outstanding Individual Achievement – Classical Music/Dance Programming – Performance for the Metropolitan Opera Silver Anniversary Gala, 1992.[47]
- Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, 1992.[48]
- Grammy, Best Opera Recording for Handel: Semele, 1993.[45]
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, 1993.[49][50]
- Battle is the recipient of six honorary doctorates from American universities. They include: the
- NAACP Image Award – Hall of Fame Award, 1999.[51]
References
- ^ Donal Henahan, "Concert: Battle Sings with the Philharmonic", The New York Times, January 24, 1987. Accessed August 31, 2008.
- ^ Tim Page, "Kathleen Battle's Pure Sweet Sound", The Washington Post, January 20, 1997. Accessed via subscription, August 31, 2008.
- ^ a b Tommasini, Anthony (November 14, 2016). "Review: Kathleen Battle Returns to the Met After 22 Years. It Was Worth the Wait". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Michael Walsh, "At the Head of the Class", Time Magazine, November 11, 1985. Accessed July 22, 2008.
- ^ AllMusic
- ^ Von Rhein, John (April 21, 1985). "Soprano Kathleen Battle: From Unknown To Operatic Star Of Two Continents". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ^ a b Nancy Malitz, "The Winning Battle", Ovation Magazine, May 1986, p. 17.
- ^ Eduardo Fradkin, Interview Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, O Globo, May 16, 2008. Accessed July 31, 2008.
- ^ Emily Van Cleve, Soprano to sing for early benefactor[dead link], Albuquerque Journal, October 3, 2004. Accessed via subscription September 1, 2008.
- ISSN 0028-7369, published by New York Media, LLC
- ^ a b Erik Smith, The Musical Times, vol. 120, no. 1637 (July 1979), pp. 567–570.
- ^ a b Dyer & Forbes.
- ^ a b c List of Kathleen Battle performances at the Salzburg Festival, Salzburg Festival Archives. Accessed 2 September 2008.
- ^ Donal Henahan, A Rare Semele by Handel, The New York Times, February 25, 1985. Accessed September 1, 2008.
- ^ a b c Kathleen Battle Performance Record, MetOpera Database. Accessed July 23, 2008.
- ^ Donal Henahan, Kathleen Battle Sings Cleopatra In Handel's Giulio Cesare at Met, The New York Times, September 29, 1988. Accessed September 1, 2008.
- ^ PBS, Great Performances 30th Anniversary Archived 2013-12-26 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed July 23, 2008.
- ^ Los Angeles Daily News, "Talent Aside, Piquing Singer's Interest is an Uphill Battle", August 6, 1990. Accessed July 23, 2008.
- ^ a b Chicago Sun-Times, "Battle's recital has a bonus", April 29, 1991. Accessed via subscription July 23, 2008.
- ^ Bernard Holland, Classical Music in Review: Honey and Rue Orchestra of St. Luke's Carnegie Hall, The New York Times, January 7, 1992. Accessed July 23, 2008.
- ^ Tim Page, "Kathleen Battle Turns on the Lite", Newsday. December 15, 1993
- ^ a b San Francisco Opera Performance Archives. Accessed July 23, 2008.
- ^ "GRAMMY.com". Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ Bernard Holland, "Kathleen Battle Pulls Out Of 'Rosenkavalier' at Met", The New York Times. January 30, 1993. Accessed July 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Allan Kozinn, The Met Drops Kathleen Battle, Citing 'Unprofessional Actions', The New York Times, February 8, 1994. Accessed July 22, 2008.
- ^ a b Michael Walsh, "Battle Fatigue", Time Magazine, February 21, 1994
- ^ Edward Rothstein, "Opera Review: After the Hoopla, La fille du régiment, The New York Times, February 16, 1994. Accessed 23 July 2008.
- Independent.co.uk. February 17, 1994. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ James R. Oestreich, Battle and Hampson: All Charm in a Parade of Hits, The New York Times, March 3, 1995. Accessed August 6, 2008.
- ^ Jon Pareles, Kathleen Battle: Jazz Headliner, The New York Times, September 14, 1995. Accessed August 4, 2008.
- ^ Interview, Classical Guitar Alive Radio Broadcast, July 15, 1995.
- ^ Dan Tucker, Classical review, Kathleen Battle at Ravinia, Chicago Tribune, August 18, 2000.
- IMDb
- ^ a b Kathleen Battle lives up to her top billing Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine, The Royal Gazette (Bermuda), October 4, 2006. Accessed July 24, 2008.
- ^ Kyle MacMillan,
Aspen books a soprano with a past, Denver Post, July 16, 2007. Accessed July 24, 2008.
- ^ Roger Freedman, Keys woos celebrities, Fox News, October 26, 2007. Accessed August 8, 2008.
- ^ Sony Masterworks: High Mass Celebrated by Pope John Paul II – Mozart: Coronation Mass, K. 317 Archived August 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Swed, Mark (February 17, 2010). "Review: Battle is Back". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- The Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts. The Center presents an Evening with Kathleen Battle. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ Internet Broadway Database. Accessed July 24, 2008.
- ^ Lyric Opera of Chicago Performance Archives Archived October 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.Accessed July 26, 2008.
- ISBN 0850211611
- ^ a b "Kathleen Battle (Soprano) – Short Biography". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ "Consumer Electronics – Sony US". www.sonystyle.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "GRAMMY.com". Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ "The Home of London Theatre". Official London Theatre. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
- ^ Database, official web site of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- ^ "Camille Cosby, Kathleen Battle Win Candace Awards". Jet. 82 (13): 16–17. July 20, 1992.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "Our History Photo". 2005.
Awards Council member and famed operatic soprano Kathleen Battle presenting the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award to Toni Morrison, the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, at the Banquet of the Golden Plate gala ceremonies during the 2005 International Achievement Summit in New York City.
- ^ NAACP 'Image Awards' honor best and brightest, Baltimore Afro-American, February 26, 1999. Accessed via subscription September 1, 2008.
Sources
- Dyer, Richard; Grove Music Online. (subscription required)
Further reading
- Kristine Helen Burns (2002). Women and Music in America Since 1900: an encyclopedia, Volume 1. Greenwood Press. pp. 43–45.
- Bil Carpenter (2005). Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 38–39. ISBN 9780879308414.
- Johanna Fiedler (2013). "34". Molto Agitato: The Mayhem Behind the Music at the Metropolitan Opera. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9781400075898.
- Barry Green (2008). The Mastery of Music: Ten Pathways to True Artistry. Crown/Archetype. pp. 216–225. ISBN 9780767911580.
- Helen M. Greenwald, ed. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Opera. Oxford University Press. p. 377. ISBN 9780199714841.
- Brad Hill (2005). Classical. Infobase Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 9780816069767.
- Manuela Hoelterhoff (2010). "3". Cinderella and Company: Backstage at the Opera with Cecilia Bartoli. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307773241.
- ISBN 9781574670769.
- ISBN 9780307498373.
- ISBN 0198691645[page needed]
External links
- Kathleen Battle at Columbia Artists Management
- Discography at Sony/BMG Masterworks
- Jazz from Lincoln Center, Kathleen Battle – Wynton Marsalis: So Many Stars Concert Battle discusses spirituals and joins other musicians singing spirituals and Duke Ellington's, Come Sunday.
- Kathleen Battle at IMDb