Harolyn Blackwell (born November 23, 1955) is an American lyric coloratura soprano who has performed in many of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters in operas, oratorios, recitals, and Broadway musicals. Initially known for her work within musical theater during the early 1980s, Blackwell moved into the field of opera and by 1987 had established herself as an artist within the soubrette repertoire in many major opera houses both in the United States and in Europe. Feeling that she was being "type cast" into one particular kind of role, Blackwell strove to establish herself within the lyric coloratura repertoire beginning in the mid-1990s. With the aid of such companies as Seattle Opera, Blackwell successfully made this move and is now an interpreter of such roles as Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Olympia in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffman. She has also periodically returned to musical theater performances throughout her career in staged productions, concert work, and recitals. Blackwell is known for her interpretations and recordings of the works of Leonard Bernstein.
Early life and education Harolyn Blackwell was born in Washington, D.C. on November 23, 1955, the eldest of five children.Harolyn Blackwell Internet Movie Database Both of her parents were teachers and active participants in the Civil Rights Movement. Her father, Harold Blackwell (for whom she was named), was also a redevelopment specialist with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. for many years, and her mother taught physical education and health at the University of the District of Columbia.
Blackwell first became interested in music through the influence of her fourth-grade teacher, Nancy Notargiacomo, who eventually became her voice and piano teacher when she was 10 years old. She also credits her high school choral director for encouraging her to pursue a music career. In a 2003 interview, Blackwell recalled: "I did not come from a musical family. I had a fourth grade teacher that introduced me to music and I sang at the Catholic church. In high school I started doing musicals − The Sound of Music, Brigadoon, Oliver!, and so forth. I thought maybe this would be what I would pursue after high school, although even in my senior year in high school I had doubts. I wanted to go into history or fashion design. But, I had a wonderful choral director who said 'no, your calling is music,' and she convinced me."US Opera Web 2003 Interview
Blackwell attended Catholic University, where she majored in vocal music education and also spent time in activities and classes related to the university's drama and musical theater programs. Blackwell said, "I wasn't quite sure whether I wanted to pursue classical or musical theater. I knew that whichever I chose, I wanted to have a classical training. It was important to me to have the technical expertise as well as also the theory and understanding of classical music. Catholic University was the best of both possible worlds, because they had a very strong drama department as well as a very good music department. They were next door, so I spent quite a bit of time going back and forth between the drama department and the music department." After graduating with her undergraduate degree in 1977, Blackwell taught music in two parochial schools while simultaneously continuing her vocal studies on the graduate level at Catholic University, where she appeared two opera roles: Mrs Gobineau in The Medium and Giannetta in L'elisir d'amore. She graduated with a Master's in Vocal Performance in 1980.Catholic University Public Affairs
Early career Blackwell's first professional engagements were with Toby Orenstein's the Young Columbians with whom she performed in 1976–1977 singing songs such as "After the Ball",[Summertime (George Gershwin song)|Summertime]]" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". In 1979, while preparing a recital program for her master's degree, Blackwell auditioned for the Broadway revival of West Side Story. Impressed with her audition, Leonard Bernstein hand picked her for the role of Francisca (formerly named Consuela in the original 1957 production) and the understudy for Maria in the 1980 revival.Harolyn Blackwell Internet Broadway Database As Francisca, Blackwell sang the song Somewhere from the orchestra pit during the final scene of the musical.Harolyn Blackwell Official Website For the next two-and-a-half years she toured with the show, gaining skills no operatic training could have provided. Blackwell said, "I learned about characterization, how you went about becoming that person", she said. "I learned stamina, how to do eight shows a week. And I learned to make the stage my home, where I felt 100 percent comfortable." At the show's premiere, critics remarked how similar Blackwell sounded to opera singer Reri Grist who originated the role of Consuela. Coincidentally, Blackwell met and befriended Grist in 1985 when she coached Blackwell for her European debut as Oscar in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera with the Hamburg State Opera. She repeated that role the following year at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
In 1981, Blackwell auditioned for and was accepted into both the Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago young artist programs. Having to choose between the two, Blackwell decided to go to Chicago. After singing with the company in small parts for a year, Blackwell left the program and moved back to New York to study vocal technique more intensely with Shirlee Emmons. She went on to win the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1983. Up to this point Blackwell was still uncertain as to whether she would continue pursuing an opera career or go back to musical theater. With winning the Met Auditions, however, her career path became decidedly reoriented towards opera. "It fit so naturally", she explains of the then new foray into opera, "it was as if I'd put on a pair of old shoes." Following her win, Blackwell continued in her apprenticeship at the Lyric Opera of Chicago for a year. In 1987 she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Poussette in Manon.Metropolitan Opera Database Since then Blackwell's career has flourished. She has appeared several more times with the Metropolitan Opera in productions such as Un ballo in maschera, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Fledermaus, and Werther among others.LA Phil Presents About the Performer — Harolyn Blackwell
In 1989, Blackwell performed and recorded the role of Clara in a critically acclaimed production of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The recording won a Grammy Award and Blackwell performed the aria "Summertime" at the 1990 Grammy Awards. That performance was praised highly and raised Blackwell's profile as an opera singer to watch.Program Notes, National Academies Concert February 13, 2005 In 1991, Blackwell made her debut with the San Francisco Opera as Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni.San Francisco Opera Archives That same year she gave a highly praised performance as Oscar in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera with the Metropolitan Opera opposite Luciano Pavarotti. The performance was video taped and subsequently aired on PBS' Great Performances. Blackwell appeared on Great Performances again in 1993 in the concert Sondheim — A Celebration at Carnegie Hall where she performed music from Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. The concert has subsequently been released on DVD and CD.
Throughout the early 1990s, Blackwell remained active in performances with opera companies throughout the United States and Europe. In 1991, she portrayed Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with the Canadian Opera Company. In 1994, Blackwell replaced Kathleen Battle as Marie in La fille du régiment at the Metropolitan Opera for the entire run when Battle was fired from the production for unprofessional conduct. This has inevitably caused critics to compare the two singers, and indeed both women have played many of the same roles and share a similar vocal quality. In a 2003 interview, Blackwell said: "Kathleen has been very supportive and very good to me over my career. Mattiwilda Dobbs, Reri Grist and Kathy were basically the predecessors for me and I really am grateful to those women, especially with my particular fach. I mean, singing Aïda or Leonora is one thing, but the lyric repertory roles are not star vehicles. It just doesn't happen and I think these women have really helped in that respect."
Later career
In the mid-1990s, Blackwell moved away from the soubrette repertoire and began to sing almost exclusively lyric coloratura roles. Instrumental in boosting her profile within this repertoire was Seattle Opera under the direction of Speight Jenkins. Blackwell first worked with the company in 1990 in the role of Marie in La fille du régiment. Impressed with her voice, the company rehired Blackwell periodically throughout the 1990s and 2000s giving her opportunities to sing new repertoire such as the title roles in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Delibes' Lakmé. She has also sung Norina in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffman with the company among other roles. Positive reviews from these performances led to Blackwell's engagement during the late 1990s and 2000s in similar repertoire with many other companies to great acclaim including Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires, Opéra de Nice, Florida Grand Opera, Tulsa Opera, and the Netherlands Opera.
In 1997, Blackwell returned to Broadway to star as Cunegonde in Bernstein's Candide. Although Blackwell earned rave reviews for her singing, the production as a whole was not well received. Most critics blamed the productions flaws on Hal Prince's interpretation and direction that caused a lack of overall focus within the show. Others have blamed the problems on inherent flaws within the musical's book. Blackwell can be heard on the recording of the 1997 revival.Stephen Sondheim Official Website Blackwell had also previously recorded several other works by Bernstein the year before on her solo album Blackwell Sings Bernstein that was released on the RCA label. The album features a guest performance by Vanessa L. Williams as Anita in selections from West Side Story.
Blackwell has also performed in many acclaimed concert series and given many lauded recitals over the years. She has performed at London's Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, The San Francisco Performance Series at the Herbst Theatre, the Morgan Library, the Kennedy Center, and the Ambassador Foundation Performing Arts Series in Los Angeles. In 2002-2003 she toured the United States giving concerts with Florence Quivar. She has also performed for several notable figures. In 1999 Blackwell was invited to perform at the Vatican for Pope John Paul II's 80th birthday. In 2006, she performed a concert in honor of the Dance Theatre of Harlem at the White House with President George W. Bush and Laura Bush in attendance.White House Press Release
Other major national and international opera companies and festivals that Blackwell has performed with include: the Washington National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Opera Orchestra of New York, and New York City's Mostly Mozart Festival among others.National Endowment for the Arts Press Release