JESSYE NORMAN’S

PORTRAIT

OF A

LEGEND:

SISSIERETTA JONES

SPOTLIGHT VIDEO

Hear the extraordinary voice of the late Miss Jessye Norman as we celebrate the Unladylike2020 | PBS film premiere of the new Sissieretta Jones film!

AVE MARIA

Miss Jessye Norman graces us with her gorgeous interpretation of “Ave Maria” arranged by Gounod from Bach's Prelude No.1 BWV 846—both a signature in Miss Norman’s repertoire and of that of her inspiration, Miss Sissieretta Jones'.

Special Thanks to Woke Up Famous, LLC: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/sissieretta-jones/

Provided by Universal Music Group · Jessye Norman at Notre-Dame ℗ 1992 Universal International Music B.V. Gounod, J.S. Bach: Ave Maria: arr. from Bach's Prelude No. 1 BWV 846 · Jessye Norman (soprano) · Fabrice Pierre (harpist) · Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon · Lawrence Foster (conductor)

"SISSIERETTA JONES FORGED AN UNCONVENTIONAL PATH TO SINGING OPERA, BECOMING THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO HEADLINE A CONCERT ON THE MAIN STAGE OF CARNEGIE HALL, IN 1893”

— THE NEW YORK TIMEs

MISSION

Iconic soprano, the late Jessye Norman (1945-2019), along with producer Adina Williams and lyric coloratura soprano Harolyn Blackwell brought their collective gifts together after years of deep friendship, research, and conversation to form Woke Up Famous LLC in 2019, inspired by the singular vision to shine a light on an artist and woman of color whose voice in history and herstory cannot be silenced, Sissieretta Jones!

Jessye Norman’s Portrait of a Legend: Sissieretta Jones illuminates the remarkable life and accomplishments of Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones (1868-1933), the “Black Patti,” the superstar, yet unsung, singer of the American concert and theatrical stage at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Complete with its glorious heights, its tragic depths, and the deep love of music, dance, and poetry that sustained her throughout, Jones's life provides the inspiration for Jessye Norman’s Portrait of a Legend: Sissieretta Jones. The full presentation will offer some of today's most celebrated classical and popular musicians, actors and dancers in an immersive 75-minute, multimedia concert experience. Drawing on America's rich musical canon to tell her story, the production will evoke the obstacles Jones faced and conquered as a woman of color navigating the music world at a time of rebirth and renewal in America - where slavery had been abolished only three years before her birth. Along with the full presentation, there will be auxiliary masterclasses, lectures, a course of study, and an online historical timeline designed to shed further light on the oft-forgotten life and artistry of Sissieretta Jones and other musicians of color, who, against the odds, rose to prominence through talent, perseverance, and boundless determination. Jessye Norman’s Portrait of a Legend: Sissieretta Jones is scheduled to premiere and tour in the 2021-2022 season.

“…the soul of a nightingale…”
“…she will be welcomed by many thousands…”

Excerpts from:
“A Patti with a Soul,” Detroit Plaindealer, 20 May 1892, and
“Sons of New York at Carnegie’s Recital Hall,” New York Echo, n.d.

SISSIERETTA JONES AND THE BLACK PATTI TROUBADOURS, CIRCA 1899

Black Patti Troubadours-Baground Image-2.png

Support Sissieretta!

Special Thanks to: Dr. Willia Estelle Daughtry, Chair Emerita, Department of Music, Hampton University

Quote: Michael Cooper, “Overlooked No More: Sissieretta Jones, a Soprano Who Shattered Racial Barriers,” The New York Times, August 15, 2018

Photo credits: Metropolitan Printing Co. The Black Patti, Mme. M. Sissieretta Jones [graphic]: the greatest singer of her race. N.Y.: Metropolitan Print., [1899] Sissieretta Jones; Sissieretta Jones circa 1895, Albumen silver print, Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Sissieretta Jones, 1892. Photograph by Addison Scurlock, Courtesy of H. Lawrence Freeman Collection, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University; Concert program of the Society of the Sons of New York, courtesy the Carnegie Hall Archives. Medal presented to Sissieretta Jones at Carnegie Hall by the Society of the Sons of New York, courtesy Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University. Jessye Norman/Carol Friedman; Sissieretta Jones – Original artwork by Amelie Chabannes, Courtesy of UNLADYLIKE2020.

“Sissieretta Jones: Call Her By Her Name! - Sizzle Reel” credits: Audio commentary: Jessye Norman. Images: Sissieretta Jones circa 1895, Albumen silver print, Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Sissieretta Jones. Courtesy of Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum Portrait Collection, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University; Metropolitan Printing Co. The Black Patti, Mme. M. Sissieretta Jones [graphic]: the greatest singer of her race. N.Y.: Metropolitan Print., [1899]; Sissieretta Jones,1892. Photograph by Addison Scurlock, Courtesy of H. Lawrence Freeman Collection, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University; Metropolitan Printing Co. The Black Patti, Mme. M. Sissieretta Jones and the Black Patti Troubadours [graphic]: Metropolitan Print., [1899; Sissieretta Jones circa 1895, Albumen silver print, Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Footage: “An Evening Honoring Jessye Norman,” Filmed at National Sawdust. Produced by National Sawdust Projects, December 17th, 2018, Brooklyn, NY (excerpts): Harolyn Blackwell, Co-Artistic Director and Soprano; Alicia Hall Moran, narrator and mezzo-soprano; Delfeayo Marsalis, trombone; ELEW, piano; Alicia Graf Mack, dancer; Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano; Kamal Khan, piano; Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, narrator; Arthur Woodley, bass; Jared Grimes, tap dancer; and PUBLIQuartet.