All of us in St. Thomas will have an opportunity this Saturday to see and hear one of the most outstanding musical talents of the '90s at the Reichhold Center for the Arts. My strong suggestion is, do not miss it.
Denyce Graves, one of the premier operatic singers of our time, is a mezzo-soprano whose talent and drive are capable of being bigger than Maria Callas. And she came to singing opera out of a genuine love for the genre, as well as having a gift for singing and acting.
When Graves was a year old, her minister father abandoned the family. Her mother, who supported the three children and herself by working in a laundry, worried about the Washington, D.C., neighborhood they lived in. In order to keep the children occupied and out of trouble, they devoted a lot of time to church activities.
Thursday night was choir rehearsal. And the Faith Bible Church of Southwest D.C. was fertile soil indeed for this young girl. Denyce was in her element and knew it.
At her audition for the Duke Ellington School as a theater major, she sang "You Light Up My Life," accompanied only by her boom box. It was suggested she try out as a voice major instead.
It was here, at Duke, that she found Eddie Jackson, director of the D.C. Youth Chorale. With Jackson's encouragement she soon developed the operatic talent that garnered her scholarship to Oberlin College.
She was 16, on her own and in a hurry. After an all-night bus ride from Washington to the Ohio campus, she walked into the Conservatory lounge and saw all the "weird kids like me. I looked around and thought, 'This is my home.' I was in an environment where I was appreciated and could flourish."
It was at Oberlin that she sang in her first opera, the world premiere of "Eros and Psyche."
From Oberlin her path led her to finish her schooling at the New England Conservatory in Boston.
One of her part-time jobs while there was as the night-shift telephone operator at the Omni Park House. She told an interviewer for the Boston Globe in 1998, "The Met tour was still coming to Boston, and one of my jobs was to make the wake-up calls. 'Good morning, Mr. Ramey, this is your 7 a.m. wake-up call.' It was all I could do to keep from adding, 'My name is Denyce Graves, and I'm an opera singer, too!'"
In addition to the job at the hotel, Graves also bagged groceries and worked at the church.
She won the Metropolitan Opera regional auditions in 1988 and told The New York Times that she had to win because she was three months behind in her rent and couldn't even pay for the rented dress she was wearing.
Since leaving Washington, D.C., Graves has continued to grow into her talent and her chosen profession. One of the most delightful aspects of her personality is that she does not take on the airs of a typical prima donna. Graves has a good sense of humor, will tell you her age if asked, and has a big, easy smile to share with the world. Her success has not come about because of some grand plan, but rather because she has followed her voice and her desire to sing.
In September 1997, I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Graves as Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. I must agree with her critics who say that her Carmen is earthy, sexual and from the start, a portrayal of a woman in revolt.
Her performance was riveting, breathtaking, perfect. It made such an impression on me that I now have a picture of her in his role as the "wallpaper" for my computer screen.
And now I have the opportunity to see Ms. Graves at close range. She will be singing some opera arias to be sure. But, also, she will sing gospels and more contemporary songs.
I can guarantee you that I will be in the audience come Saturday night. I wonder if you will be the person sitting next to me.
The Denyce Graves performance, "A Night at the Opera," begins at 8 p.m. For tickets call the Reichhold Center box office at 693-1559.
Graves' concert is presented by the Birch Forum, in cooperation with the Reichhold Center. Co-sponsors are Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Chase Manhattan Bank.
To see and hear Denyce Graves, go directly to her website www.denycegraves.com
