Willie Mae Ford Smith
African-American gospel singer and evangelist
Category Archives: Music
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Lila Pauline Robeson
International opera star and the first Cleveland-born artist to sing with the Metropolitan Opera (1912-1922) in New York.
Lillian Luverne Baldwin
Supervisor of music appreciation at Cleveland Public Schools for more than two decades
Josephine Forsyth
Cleveland singer, composer, and musical patron.
Minnie Gentry
“The First Lady” of Karamu Theater, this critically acclaimed artist received a Tony nomination in 1972 and the Outstanding Pioneer Award for her contributions to Black theater in 1985.
Vitya Vronsky Babin
Distinguished pianist and teacher long associated with the Cleveland Institute of Music
Adella Prentiss Hughes
Founder of three important institutions: the Cleveland Music School Settlement, the Musical Arts Assocation and the Cleveland Orchestra
Eileen Jackson Southern
Today, both the American Musicological Society and the Society for American Music recognize African American music as worthy of scholarly study – thanks in large part to her work.
Rachel Walker Turner
African-American soprano who began her career in Cleveland and later toured the U.S. and Europe singing classical selections as well as songs such as “The Last Rose of Summer” and “Swanee River.”
Dr A Grace Lee Mims
Educator, a musician, and an advocate for African-American culture.