Adele Addison sang her first concert at age 12 at Old First Church, Springfield, MA. Those were the first luscious notes from Adele’s soprano voice which led her to a professional career throughout the U.S., Europe, on recordings and film. At age 99 1/2, Addison will be formally honored for the first time in her home city – Springfield. Ideally, Addison would be in attendance, but due to her frailty at this age, a video tape of the program will be sent to her at her home.
“Bravo: Adele Addison” will take place on Sunday, November 3, 2024 from 2pm – 3pm at the Community Music School of Springfield, 127 State Street, Springfield. There will be music, a talk about Adele Addison, a 10-min. video of her life, and a Mayor’s proclamation. FREE ADMISSION.
The program is produced by In the Spotlight, a non-profit art agency in Springfield since 1991. The program is sponsored by a grant from the Springfield Cultural Council, an agency of the MA Cultural Council.
July 24, 1925 was a special day in the history of Springfield, MA. On this date, Adele Addison was born. Addison, an African-American lyric soprano was a figure in the classical music world during the 1950’s and 1960’s. She appeared in several operas but spent most of her career performing recitals and concerts in world-stage auditoriums.
Her performances spanned a wide array of literature from the Baroque period to contemporary compositions. She is best remembered today as the singing voice for Bess (played by Dorothy Dandridge) in the 1959 movie, “Porgy and Bess”. Known for her polished and fluent tone, Addison made a superb Baroque vocal artist. Many of her recordings were with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
As a teenage, Addison was selected to sing as a soloist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall (then called Springfield Auditorium). Addison began dedicated vocal studies as a teenager and, following her graduation from Classical High School in 1942. Her Classical High School yearbook states, “She sings like a bird”.
The singer won her first scholarship to study at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. Further scholarships enabled her to pursue graduate studies at Princeton and attend summer sessions at the Berkshire Music Center (now known as Tanglewood).
Addison made her professional recital debut in Boston, in 1948 while still a student at Princeton. Following graduation, she moved to New York City to pursue a career as a classical soprano. Of her 1952 New York City recital debut New York Times wrote, “The recital season reached a high point last night when Adele Addison, soprano from Springfield, MA, made her debut in Town Hall [New York City].”
She continued to study voice at the Juilliard School, and in 1955 she made the prestigious stage appearance with the New York City Opera, debuting as Mimi in Puccini’s “La Bohème”. The New York Post said, “…about the most appealing interpreter of the Parisian seamstress yet to appear on the City Center stage. Small, frail looking, and pretty, Miss Addison enhanced these assets by acting and singing with moving poignancy and sincerity.”
Addison was invited by Aaron Copland to perform the world premiere of his “Dirge in Woods,” written specifically for Ms. Addison, at a concert sponsored by the League of Composers.
One of Addison’s most important concerts was “The Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson” by the composed by Copland, in collaboration with Robert Frost and Edward Albee.
Participants in the event include MC Regine Jackson, pianist Daniel Monte, soprano Radiance Flowers, and City Councilor Kateri Walsh.
The Music School’s entry on State Street will be open with a greeter at the door. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Parking is located behind the school and on-street. NOTE: 11/3 begins Daylight Savings Day.
Additional support for “Bravo – Adele Addison” comes from: the Community Music School, Springfield Museums, Springfield Women’s Commission, and FOCUS Television.
