Skip to main content

Roland Hayes

View
@ National Portrait Gallery

Description

Tenor Roland Hayes was the first African American singer to earn an international reputation on the concert stage. Hayes studied at Fisk University and later trained in Boston, where he marked his professional debut in 1917 with a recital of operatic arias, continental art songs, and African American spirituals. After touring with some success at home, Hayes traveled to Europe in 1921 for a series of concert engagements that earned him glowing notices and marked a turning point in his career. Back in the United States, he was greeted with great enthusiasm by American concert audiences, who responded to the poignancy and emotional power of his singing. Mindful of his role in breaking barriers that had prevented black Americans from pursuing concert careers, Hayes observed, "I live to encourage my race and see them rise from the bondage of centuries."
Type:
Image
Format:
Gelatin Silver Print
Rights:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
View Original At:

Record Contributed By

National Portrait Gallery

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution