- William Franklin (opera)
William Franklin (born 1906 in
Memphis, Tennessee ) was anopera singer and was considered a pioneerAfrican American among the Chicago music scene. William first started his musical career playing trombone and singing in jazz groups after finishing high school. An auto accident ended his trombone playing so he decided to improve his voice. He enrolled at theChicago Conservatory of Music . He debuted asideLa Julia Rhea in a1937 production of Verdi's "Aida " at theChicago Civic Opera . This performance was in celebration of the annual meeting ofPittsburgh National Association of Negro Musicians as organized byMary Cardwell Dawson . Franklin often appeared in other productions of the company as well as opertta performances ofGilbert and Sullivan works.References
* "The Music of Black Americans: A History".
Eileen Southern . W. W. Norton & Company; 3rd edition. ISBN 0-393-97141-4External links
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=dMuN3GsYI2QC&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=national+negro+opera+company+%22william+franklin%22&source=web&ots=QjNRZ8DCQr&sig=k6fg7uEbrtfSuepTYOe_Yh9a0js#PPA67,M1 Google Book Search]
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