Brice, Carol (1918–1985)

views updated

Brice, Carol (1918–1985)

African-American contralto, the first black American to win the Walter W. Naumberg Award, who performed at the Metropolitan Opera, made many popular recordings, and won a Grammy for Porgy and Bess. Born in Sedalia, North Carolina, on April 16, 1918; died in Norman, Oklahoma, on February 15, 1985; daughter of John Brice (a Presbyterian minister and schoolteacher); niece of Charlotte Hawkins Brown, founder of the Palmer Memorial Institute, a school for black children; attended Talladega College in Alabama and Juilliard School of Music; married Thomas Carey (a vocalist), 1942; children: one son.

Carol Brice was one of a number of remarkable black musicians who established brilliant careers in segregated America. Born in Sedalia, North Carolina, Carol was the youngest of four children. Her father, a minister and school teacher, was frequently absent, so Carol's mother, who found taking care of the large family too great a strain, placed her with her aunt, Charlotte Hawkins Brown , when the child was a year old. Brice attended the Palmer Memorial Institute, a school for black children in Sedalia founded by her aunt, then completed her studies at Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama. As early as age three, Brice had shown unusual vocal talent, and she became a member of the Palmer Institute's Glee Club, touring the country as a soloist. In 1939, after completing her Bachelor of Music, she won a fellowship to the Juilliard School of Music. In 1941, she sang at Franklin D. Roosevelt's third presidential inauguration. While still a student in New York, Brice performed in The Hot Mikado, Mike Todd's production starring Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Here she met her future husband, Thomas Carey.

In 1944, for her performance as a singer, Brice was the first black to win the Walter W. Naumberg Award. A Town Hall debut followed on March 13, 1945. Shortly afterwards, Columbia Broadcasting System presented her in a televised recital. During the next few years, she performed with the Pittsburgh, Boston, and San Francisco symphonies. Though a wide range of roles was not available to black classical singers in the 1940s and 1950s, Brice still performed frequently. In 1956, she sang the role of the Voodoo Princess in Clarence Cameron White's Ouanga at the Metropolitan Opera. She went on to play Addie in Marc Blitzstein's Regina, Kakou in Harold Arlen's Saratoga, Maude in Finian's Rainbow, Queenie in Jerome Kern's Show Boat, and Maria in George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. In the 1960s, Brice played Harriet Tubman in Gentlemen, Be Seated and appeared in Carousel.

Carol Brice toured extensively in Europe and America. Her brothers, who were musical as well, often traveled with her. Eugene Brice was a Juilliard graduate who sang in numerous Broadway productions while Jonathan was her accompanist, though he had also sung with the Robert Shaw Chorale and the New York City Opera. Carol Brice recorded extensively and won a Grammy for Porgy and Bess. With her husband, she joined the music faculty at the University of Oklahoma. Together, they founded the Cimarron Circuit Opera Company and in 1977 were named Oklahoma Musicians of the Year. Known for an outstanding, unforgettable voice, Brice left an indelible mark on the American musical world.