Rahn, Muriel (1911–1961)

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Rahn, Muriel (1911–1961)

African-American singer and actress . Born Muriel Ellen Rahn in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1911; died of cancer in New York City on August 8, 1961; daughter of Willie and Bessie Rahn; attended Tuskegee Institute and Atlanta University; awarded degree from the Music Conservatory of the University of Nebraska, at Lincoln; attended Teachers College, Columbia University; studied voice at the Juilliard School of Music, New York; married Charles Rountree, in 1932 (divorced); married Richard Campbell, in 1934.

African-American singer Muriel Rahn began performing while in college and launched her professional career in New York in 1929, with Eva Jessye 's Jubilee Singers. She soon was cast in the Broadway musicals Blackbirds of 1929 and Hot Chocolates (1929–30). Rahn spent 1933 in Paris, singing at the fashionable Chez La DuBarry, before returning to Broadway in 1934 in Come of Age, starring Judith Anderson . Rahn appeared as Carmen, her most important Broadway role, in the Billy Rose production of Carmen Jones, which enjoyed a run of 231 performances. She then embarked on an extensive concert tour throughout the United States.

Rahn distinguished herself as the only black member of the opera division of New York City's National Orchestral Association, singing in a number of productions, including Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio and Puccini's Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. In 1948, she performed the title role in Verdi's Aïda with the Salmaggi Opera, and in 1954 played the lead in Richard Strauss' modern opera Salome. A review in Ebony (January 1955) praised her voice and her acting skill. "The audience cheered Miss Rahn for a versatile exhibition of first-rate singing of a difficult score, believable acting of a complex role and a spirited interpretation of a bizarre dance." Rahn also appeared in two American operas by Harry Freeman: The Martyr (1947) and The Barrier, which premiered at Columbia University in January 1950. In the latter, her portrayal of the leading character, Cora Lewis, received a glowing review from The New York Times' music critic Howard Taubman, who called her "the core of the piece—its fire and artistic conscience." The Barrier opened on Broadway in November 1950 and was Rahn's last Broadway appearance.

As an African-American performer, Rahn struggled against exploitation and segregation, although she consistently fulfilled her contract obligations. When Billy Rose failed in his promise to raise her salary in accordance with the success of Carmen Jones, she denounced him in an article in The Chicago Defender. She also protested segregated seating at the Ford Theater in Baltimore, Maryland, when The Barrier was playing on tour; Rahn agreed to perform but picketed the theater while not on stage.