Background
Jessye Norman was an American opera singer and recitalist. She was able to perform dramatic soprano roles, but refused to being limited to that voice type. She was a commanding presence on operatic, concert and recital stages, associated with roles including Beethoven's Leonore, Wagner's Sieglinde and Kundry, Cassandre and Didon by Berlioz and Bartók's Judith.
Education
Norman was trained at Howard University, the Peabody Institute, and the University of Michigan.
Career
Norman made her operatic debut in 1969 in Berlin, wowing audiences around the world on stages in Milan, London and New York thanks to her shining vocals, no matter the language.
In 1997, at age 52, Norman became the youngest person to earn the Kennedy Center Honor in the organization’s 20-year history. She received her national medal of arts from President Barack Obama and has earned honorary doctorates from a number of prestigious schools, including Juilliard, Harvard and Yale. She is a member of the British Royal Academy of Music and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Norman even has an orchid named after her in France, and the country also made her a commander of the order of arts and letters.