It was sheer Irony when I ordered Shirley Verrett's biography from Amazon.com two weeks prior to my meeting with Janai. As it turned out, Janai's voice teacher at Michigan, was the famous Shirley Verrett. After I read her book, I understood the protective nature Janai recounted to me of Shirley. She had said that she wanted her students to be protected when going out into the world of opera. She had her own story from which to teach, and that is what I read this month.
One thing I have learned from my readings and interviews is that at some point you know if someone is going to make it or not. Someone who is going to ascend to fame either has it or they don't, and usually, the right people can tell. Shirley's voice teacher at Juilliard remarked, "There is only one star in this studio, and that's Shirley." Shirley recounted that she probably shouldn't have said this in front of her other students, but never the less, she was correct. Shirley Verrett's career of course had obstacles and mountains to overcome, but she rose to the top fairly seamlessly.
One tough obstacle Shirley faced however was racism. She grew up in New Orleans, in the south, a place plagued by the evils of racism more concentrated and interminable than the rest of the country. However, when she was about 15, she moved to LA. Here she was able to further her singing.
She accounts that after her father told her she had a “very lovely voice” at the age of five, “Suddenly I felt a foot taller. I think it was at that exact moment that I became a singer.” Both of her parents supported her in her efforts to be a singer.
As Shirley rose to fame, she did face obstacles involving her race. She was booked by a famous conductor of the Houston Opera, Stokowski. This was big; being good in his book, which many other conductors, booking agents, and musical organizations frequently consulted, was a big deal. However, shortly after being booked, she received a call saying she wouldn't be able to perform. Shirley was heart broken and overwhelmingly confused. What had she done wrong? Nothing. Stokowski himself called her. The truth was, the Houston Symphony board didn't want to use a Negro singer. "This will not stop our relationship. I would like you to know I will have you sing with me," said Stokowski. She appreciated that very much, but feelings of defiance rose up within her. He was true to his word. He had her sing with him with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She recounts that she had the last laugh with the Houston opera, seeing as singing with the Philadelphia orchestra catapulted her career in new ways she couldn't have imagined.
Something I also learned from reading her book was that Shirley sang on the La Vita è Bella soundtrack. She sang the "Barcarolle" duet from Tales of Hoffman, which was used to signal to the character Guido's wife that he was still alive while in the concentration camps. First of all, I love this movie, and second of all, we watched this movie in Italian class, and I wouldn't help but notice the beautiful operatic duet and wonder where it was from and who was singing it. Well, now I know, and it is really great to know the story behind one of the singers.
Shirley Verret became one of the most celebrated singers ever, through a series of good decision and of course incredible talent. She has sung numerous roles at the Metropolitan Opera, her debut being Carmen herself in the opera Carmen, The Opera Company of Boston, as well as all over Europe. She has also performed many concerts at places such as the New York Philharmonic as well as Carnegie Hall. One important thing I learned from reading her book was her ability to say "No" and knowing when she was ready for things. Once she even said no to an offer that "Promised the Met" in favor of an offer to be a graduate student at Juilliard.
She was a great and powerful singer committed not only to the music but also to the meaning behind the words. She savored the interpretation and acting aspect of opera, enough to even suggest to the head of the Juilliard School once that she was not receiving proper education. Plàcido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti don't just write forwards to anyone's book. They worked with her genius and considered her one of the great artists of the 21st century, and she was; she really was.
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