Denyce Graves

1964–

Opera singer

Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves has realized USA Today's prediction that she would become one of the twenty-first century's operatic superstars. As Bizet's sultry, passionate Carmen, she won glowing reviews worldwide. Jerry Schwartz noted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that critics have called her Carmen "one of the most stunning performances ever of that storied role." The Wall Street Journal called her "the hottest Carmen on the opera circuit today," and Martin Feinstein, former general director of the Washington Opera, stated simply, "she is the definitive Carmen." But in an industry where singers often get pigeonholed by particular roles, Graves resisted being limited. "I'm more than Carmen," Graves noted in the Los Angeles Times in 1999. She is indeed. Graves' goal for herself, as she told the Philadelphia Tribune, is "artistic independence."

Rose to Opera Stardom Early

Following a three-year apprenticeship with the Houston Grand Opera, where she made her debut as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel in 1989, Graves took the operatic world by storm. She has sung with tenor legends Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and Jose Carreras. She has appeared on the stages of the world's most famous opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera, La Scala in Milan, and the Royal Opera in London's Covent Garden. Cultivating her role 1991, Graves made her debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera to critical acclaim in the fall of 1995, in the title role of Carmen.

Reviewers have been effusive in their descriptions of Graves's voice. In 1997 Tony Kornheiser wrote in the Washington Post, "Denyce Graves's voice is spectacular. It's so clear and clean you feel you can see through it." Herbert Kupferberg described it as "sumptuous but mercifully light and flexible" in Parade in 1994 and in a 1994 article for American Record Guide, David Reynolds called it "a full and voluptuous instrument indeed." Others were more specific. Reviewer Anthony Tommasini wrote in the New York Times in 1995 that Graves has "a classic mezzo-soprano voice with dusky colorings and a wide range, from her chesty low voice to her gleaming top notes." Schwartz described it as "Quite distinctive—rich, burnished, deep." He concluded, "Her wonder-fully tasteful musicianship allows it to project with a directness that few singers in any age have been able to manage."

Emerged from Difficult Childhood

Denyce Antionette Graves was born March 7, 1964, to Charles Graves and Dorothy (Middleton) Graves-Kenner. The middle child of three, Denyce and her siblings were raised by their mother on Galveston Street in southwest Washington, D.C. Charles Graves walked out on his family when Denyce was not yet two and his youngest daughter not yet born. Dorothy Graves worked hard to support her family, first as a laundress and then as a clerk typist at Federal City College—now the University of the District of Columbia. "Our neighborhood was tough and chaotic … and very poor," Graves told Marilyn Milloy of Essence. "Violence, drugs, hopelessness, despair—it was all there. Yet with all that, my mother held her ground and built a solid foundation for our little family."

Dorothy Graves built that foundation on a bedrock of love, discipline, and faith. She was strict, making sure her children had no spare time in which to find trouble. Regular chores and homework filled much of their after-school time, and Dorothy took care of the rest by scheduling various activities for the evenings, such as sewing, report writing, gospel singing, and church attendance. "Thursday night was always for our singing group. I loved to sing early on," Graves told Essence. Popular music was forbidden in the Graves home, as were certain television shows that Dorothy felt portrayed blacks in a demeaning manner. As a result of this sheltered upbringing, Denyce was neither familiar with nor especially interested in whatever was considered "cool" at the time. Consequently, she stood out as different from her peers. Classmates called her "Hollywood" merely because she was aloof. Her mother balanced the discipline with encouragement. She told her children they were special, that their throats and brains had been kissed by God, that they could do anything.

Graves's first mentor was her elementary school music teacher, Judith Grove, who, through a series of job changes, followed her to Friendship Junior High and on to high school. Impressed by the girl's commitment to hard work and her serious attitude toward music, in 1977 Grove encouraged her to apply to Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a public performing arts high school in Georgetown. Graves won admittance by passing an audition. Although her mother had serious qualms at the prospect, Graves did not.

Found Refuge in School

She felt immediately at home at Ellington. She no longer stood out; all the students there were committed, working toward similar goals. She recalled in an article in the Washingtonian, "I felt that I could finally breathe. There have been few things in my life where I said 'This is it,' but when I walked through that door, there was a rightness in my bones about it."

While a student at Ellington, Graves saw her first opera. She was 14. Attending a dress rehearsal at the Kennedy Center for Beethoven's Fidelio, she was captivated. Some time after that, a teacher gave her a recording of Marilyn Horne singing an aria from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana. Playing the aria until she had it memorized, Graves determined to become an opera singer.

At a Glance …

Born Denyce Antoinette Graves on March 7, 1964, in Washington, D.C., daughter of Charles Graves (now a minister) and Dorothy (Middleton) Graves (now Graves-Kenner, then a clerk typist at Federal City College); married David Perry, 1990. Education: B. Mus. New England Conservatory of Music, 1988.

Career: Mezzo-soprano opera singer, 1989–.

Memberships: American Guild of Musical Artists; Panel member, Washington Opera Open Forum, 1991; active supporter, African National Congress, Boston, 1985.

Awards: First place, Northeast Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions, 1987; Metropolitan Opera finalist, 1988; recipient, Richard F. Gold Career grant, Houston Grand Opera, 1989; recipient, Grand Prix du Concours International de Chant de Paris, 1990; recipient, Jacobson Study Grant, Richard Tucker Music Foundation, NYC, 1990; recipient, National Endowment for the Arts grant, 1990; recipient, Metropolitan Opera grant, 1990; recipient, Grand Prix Lyrique, Association des amis de l'opera de Monte-Carlo, 1991; Marion Anderson Award, 1991; one of 10 Women of the Year, Glamour magazine, 1997; Honorary Doctorate, Oberlin College Conservatory, 1998.

Addresses: Agent—c/o Jeffrey D. Vanderveen, IMG Artists, 616 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5RX, United Kingdom; Web—www.denycegraves.com.

Graves finished high school in just two years, graduating in 1981. She was offered scholarships to several colleges, but chose the Oberlin College Conservatory in Ohio. The school had offered only a partial scholar-ship, so she worked several jobs to make ends meet. At Oberlin she studied under renowned voice teacher Helen Hodam. Reaching mandatory retirement age in 1984, Hodam left Oberlin to teach at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and Graves followed her there. Working up to three jobs at a time to support herself, it would take her four more years to graduate. She earned her Bachelor of Music in 1988.

Before she graduated, Graves entered the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions in 1986. She won. "I had to win," she told the New York Times. "I was four months behind in my rent. I couldn't pay for the rented dress I was wearing." When she got to New York to sing in the finals, however, she was stricken with a mysterious throat ailment. It got worse as she sang. Forced to withdraw from the competition, she saw 11 specialists before the problem was diagnosed as a treatable thyroid condition. Disheartened, she took a secretarial position and did not sing again for a year.

Launched Career

Then Graves received a series of phone calls that would change her life. The Houston Grand Opera called to invite her to audition for its opera studio, a young artists training program. The disaster of the Metro finals was too fresh an experience, and Graves said thank you, but her singing days were over. Houston called again a couple of months later and renewed the offer. Her answer was still thanks, but no thanks. Six weeks passed and Houston called a third time. This time, friends persuaded her that this was meant to be, so she flew to Texas to audition. She had not sung in more than a year. She took her time warming up, and then sang Carmen's seguidilla. New York quoted Graves as saying of the experience, "That day I sang better than when I was well and in good voice. It was a revelation from God."

Graves spent three years in Houston. She told Essence that her life changed completely. "My job there was to do supporting roles or cover for other mezzos as well as grunge work—singing in the malls at Christmas time, things like that," she said. "But I also met the great tenor Placido Domingo, and from that point on things began to happen." Impressed with her talent and drive, Domingo became her mentor.

Her debut in a lead role came in 1989 in Houston, as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel. Graves was invited to sing in the Tucker Foundation's 1990 Gala Concert, which was broadcast nationally in 1991 on PBS's Great Performances. Building on her Houston apprenticeship, she has proven herself a major talent ever since. She has sung leading roles in all the most respected opera houses in the world.

Wins Worldwide Acclaim with Carmen

Although she had sung other roles early in her career, her characterization of Carmen generated the most excitement. By early 1996 she had sung in more than 30 productions of that opera. Hailed by enthusiastic critics as "the world's reigning Carmen," it has become her signature role. In a 1995 review in the New York Times, Tommasini wrote, "She is a compelling stage actress who exude[s] the sensuality that any Carmen must have but few do." Tim Page observed in the Washington Post, "We do not merely listen to her Carmen, we experience it; she not only sings the role of the fiery Gypsy girl, she embodies her." She made her much-anticipated debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1995 as Carmen. Linda Killian noted in the Washingtonian in 1996, "Whenever an opera house anywhere in the world thinks about doing a production of Carmen, Graves is at the top of the list. She has reached the point where she says no to Carmen as often as she says yes." The reason, Killian explained, is that "Domingo and others have warned her that she mustn't become typecast, that she needs to expand her repertoire and her voice by doing other roles." Graves explained the benefit of other roles to her voice in New York. "Mozart and bel canto—I swear to God, they make your voice better. They're difficult, especially for a voice like mine. My voice is broad. It's fat. I need to work to line it up, to make it skinny. With Carmen you have to watch out. It's so theatrical. It can take the sheen off the voice and get it out of line, make it hard."

And she has found various roles, including Baba the Turk in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Charlotte in Massenet's Werther, and Dalila in Saint-Saens's Samson et Dalila. In 2005, Graves introduced a new role to the stage in the world premier of Margaret Garner, the story of a slave girl, at the Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit. She has sung at the White House on numerous occasions and performed with Placido Domingo on his Concert for the Planet Earth, which was broadcast worldwide from the United States summit on the environment in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Her performances have also been featured on PBS several times.

Carefully Crafts Image

Graves is conscious of being a role model for black children, just as Leontyne Price was an early inspiration for her. She is also grateful to those who broke the operatic color barrier before her. Her own struggles to reach the top, she told Ebony, "are nothing in comparison to the suffering of those people who allowed me to be in the position that I'm in today." In spite of her meteoric rise to stardom, Graves has encountered racism, and believes she has lost out on roles because she is African American. And, having pursued a career in what has been traditionally an elitist art form dominated and controlled by whites, she has been criticized by blacks for wanting to be "white." Responding to those who would try to pigeonhole her as one thing or another, Graves had this to say to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1996: "Anyone who thinks the world of international opera is any easier for black people than anything else has never been there. But bitterness can eat a hole in your soul." Killian noted in The Washingtonian that Graves strives to leave race aside as she hones her craft. She wrote, "Graves does not want to be a black opera singer. She wants to be an opera singer who happens to be black."

In 1990 Graves married classical guitar importer David Perry. They met the year before while performing with the Wolf Trap Opera Company in Virginia. Perry was a lutenist in the orchestra. He travels with Graves much of the time, handling details for her and calming her nerves before performances by playing classical guitar for her. Perry created Carmen Productions to promote Graves' career through television and recording projects. "My husband is a rock in this whole crazy turbulence of a career," Graves told the Christian Science Monitor. They have a home in Leesburg, Virginia.

Having reached the top, Graves's struggle continues. "The key in this business is not only about getting your foot in the door," she told Essence, "it's about demanding such a standard of excellence from yourself that you stay in the room. The ultimate goal, in my opinion, is for people to flock to the theatre not only to see Carmen, but to see Denyce Graves." To enhance her career, Graves added steady bookings for concerts, recitals, and recordings to balance her work. More than just a way to keep her "in the room," these activities served another purpose. As quoted in Afro-American Red Star, Graves said, "I think it's important to use the voice in different ways. A steady diet of opera is very heavy for the voice."

Graves understands the power of her talent. She made a national name for herself. President and Mrs. Bush requested that she sing at a national memorial service held at the Washington National Cathedral after the terrorist attacks in 2001. She branched out from the music industry to become what Opera News described as "sort of a diva-as-mini-corporation." She launched perfume and jewelry lines, and was subject of a 2003 PBS documentary called Denyce Graves: Breaking the Rules. Appointed a Cultural Ambassador for the United States in 2003, Graves also represents the State Department on international missions of peace. If her career thus far is any indication, Denyce Graves will remain in the limelight for years to come.

Selected discography

Concert For Planet Earth, Sony Classical, 1993.
Otello, Deutsche Grammophon, 1993.
Hamlet, EMI, 1993.
Recital Denyce Graves: Heroines de l'Opera romantique Francais, FNAC Music, 1993.
Angels Watching Over Me, NPR Classics, 1998.
Denyce Graves: A Cathedral Christmas, PBS Productions, 1998.
Voce di Donna, BMG/RCA Red Seal, 1999.
Memorial, Carmen Productions, 2001.
Lost Days: Music in the Latin Style, BMG/RCA Red Seal, 2003.
Denyce Graves: French Opera Arias, Virgin Classics, 2004.
Kaleidoscope, Carmen Productions, 2004.

Sources

Periodicals

American Record Guide, September/October 1994.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 16, 1997, November 17, 1997.

Christian Science Monitor, July 24, 1996.

Cincinnati Enquirer, February 21, 2003.

Classic FM, November 2002.

Ebony, February 1996.

Essence, September 1996.

Glamour, December 1997.

Los Angeles Times, January 21, 1996; September 5, 1999.

New York, September 11, 1995.

New York Post, January 10, 2003.

New York Times, December 28, 1997, October 14, 1995, October 9, 1995.

Opera News, September 2001.

Opera Night, May/June 1998.

Parade, May 29, 1994.

People Weekly, October 23, 1995.

Reader's Digest, February 1997.

Tampa Tribune, February 10, 2003.

Theatre Bio, Suzanne Stephens Arts Services, June 1998.

Wall Street Journal, April 4, 1995.

Washingtonian, December 1996.

Washington Post, January 19, 1997, June 8, 1996, October 9, 1995, March 26, 1995, February 24, 1991, September 28, 1989.

On-line

"Denyce Graves: Breaking the Rules," The National Music Education Site: WHYY, www.whyy.org/education/denycegraves/about_show.html (July 12, 2006).