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Tributes are paid to opera singer Camilla Williams

Tributes are paid to opera singer Camilla Williams

TRIBUTES have been paid to the opera singer Camilla Williams, who has died aged 92.

In 1946 Ms. Williams became the first black woman to appear in a leading role with a major American opera company. Her appearance in the title role of Madam Butterfly with the New York City Opera signalled a turning point not only in her career but also in efforts to end the discrimination against black singers in opera houses across the United States.

The acclaimed soprano went on perform at the world’s top opera houses.

Among her recordings was the 1951 production for Columbia Records of Porgy and Bess.

Away from opera Ms. Williams also campaigned for human rights. 

At the 1963 March On Washington event, at which Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his I Have A Dream Speech, Ms. Williams sang the national anthem before 200,000 people.

She was married to Charles Beavers, who was a prominent civil rights lawyer.  Shortly after he died in 1970, Ms. Williams retired from opera to concentrate on teaching.

To hear Camilla Williams sing click here.

 

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