Leona Mitchell

Leona Mitchell (born 13 October 1949 in Enid, Oklahoma), known worldwide as one of the greatest African-American sopranos to ever perform in opera houses and an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee.

Leona Mitchell started singing at an early age in the choir of the Antioch Baptist Church in Enid where her father, Reverend Hulon Mitchell was the minister. She received her bachelors in music from the Oklahoma City University, went on to graduate studies at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and received honorary doctorates from Oklahoma City University and the University of Oklahoma.

In 1973, she debuted as Micaela in Bizet's "Carmen" with the San Francisco Opera. She received international attention as Bess in the first complete stereo recording of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" with Lorin Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra. She has contributed to several recordings, had television appearances, and served as honorary chair of Black Heritage Month of the Oklahoma legislature. In 1988 Leona Mitchell performed the role of Liù in "Turandot" at the Metropolitan Opera under the direction of Maestro James Levine to rave reviews.

Leona Mitchell currently resides in Houston, Texas with her husband/manager Elmer Bush and son Elmer Bush IV.

ources

*Kenneth R. Shepherd, [http://www.answers.com/topic/leona-mitchell Contemporary Black Biography: Leona Mitchell] . The Gale Group, 2006.
*Kitty Pittman, [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/M/MI049.html Mitchell, Leona Pearl] , "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture", Oklahoma Historical Society.