Biography
An African American soprano, she earned a Juilliard scholarship in 1949. Virgil Thomson selected her in 1952 for the Broadway revival of his Four Saints in Three Acts, after which she portrayed Bess during a worldwide tour of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Premieres of pieces by Barber and Sauguet marked her concert work until a televised Tosca halted its momentum. That broadcast, joined by further stage appearances, steered her trajectory. She rose to prominence as one of the era’s preeminent sopranos, above all through her command of Verdi heroines. True lirico-spinto in character, the voice projects force and clarity at moments of high drama. She brought refined insight to many of opera’s central female figures.
Albums
Verdi: Ernani - Shippers
2024
J.S. Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
2020
Bizet: Carmen, WD 31
2016
Verdi: Aida
2016
Singers of the Century: Leontyne Price – Spiritual and Religious Songs (Remasterd 2016)
2016
Mozart: Così fan tutte, K. 588
2016
Great Verdi Voices
2016
Mozart: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626
2015
Verdi: Il trovatore (Recorded 1961) [Live]
2015
Verdi: Aïda
2015
Verdi: Il trovatore
2015
Puccini: Turandot (Recorded Live 1961)
2014
The Voice of Leontyne Price
2013
Verdi Heroines: 15 Great Arias and Scenes from 8 Operas
2013
Leontyne Price - Prima Donna Vol. 5: Great Soprano Arias from Handel to Britten
2013
Leontyne Price sings Spirituals
2012
Leontyne Price - Return to Carnegie Hall
2012
Leontyne Price - Carnegie Hall Recital Debut
2012
Leontyne Price - Hector Berlioz: Les Nuits d'été op. 7; Manuel de Falla: El amor brujo
2012
Leontyne Price - Prima Donna Vol. 3: Great Soprano Arias from Gluck to Poulenc
2012
Leontyne Price - Prima Donna Vol. 4: Great Soprano Arias from Mozart to Menotti
2012
Leontyne Price - Prima Donna Vol. 1: Great Soprano Arias from Purcell to Barber
2012
Leontyne Price - Five Great Operatic Scenes from La Traviata, Eugene Onegin, Don Carlo, Ariadne, Fidelio
2012
Leontyne Price - Prima Donna Vol. 2: Great Soprano Arias from Handel to Puccini
2012
Leontyne Price - Great Scenes from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
2012
Leontyne Price - Puccini Heroines
2012
Leontyne Price - Verdi & Puccini Duets
2012
Leontyne Price - Verdi and Puccini Arias
2012
Leontyne Price - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
2012
Leontyne Price sings Schumann
2012
Leontyne Price - Right as the Rain
2012
Leontyne Price - A Program of Song
2012
Leontyne Price - Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
2012
Leontyne Price - Samuel Barber
2012
Leontyne Price - Richard Strauss
2012
Leontyne Price - My Favorite Hymns
2012
Leontyne Price - Alexei Haieff: String Quartet No. 1; Samuel Barber: Hermit Songs op. 29
2012
Puccini: Turandot - Verdi: La forza del destino (Excerpts) [Live]
2012
Verdi: La Forza del Destino - The Sony Opera House
2012
Puccini: Tosca
2011
Strauss: Four Last Songs; Die Frau ohne Schatten; Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
2010
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera - The Sony Opera House
2009
Albeniz: Navarra, Iberia; Falla: El amor brujo; Granadas: Intermezzo from Goyescas
2007
Verdi: Heroines
2006
Poulenc, Barber & Others: Vocal Works (Historic Performances)
2004
Puccini Heroines: Classic Library Series
2004
Puccini Heroines
2004
Leontyne Price Rediscovered Carnegie Hall Recital
2002
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3
2001
Aida Told by Leontyne Price with Selections from the Verdi Opera
2000
Verdi: Requiem/Quattro Pezzi Sacri
2000
Artists Of The Century: Leontyne Price
1999
Basic Opera Highlights-Bizet: Carmen
1999
Great Scenes from Gershwin's Porgy And Bess
1999
The Ultimate Lullaby Album
1999
Verdi: La Forza Del Destino
1998
Leontyne Price - Mozart
1997
Arias
1997
The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs
1997
The Essential Leontyne Price/Highlights
1997
Presenting Leontyne Price
1996
Verdi: Il Trovatore (2 CDs)
1995
The Ultimate Christmas Album
1995
Verdi: Aida Highlights
1994
OPERA ARIAS
1994
Leontyne Price Sings Barber
1994
Barber: Knoxville, Summer of 1915, Op. 24, Dover Beach, Op. 3, Hermit Songs, Op. 29 & Andromache's Farewell, Op. 39
1992
Leontyne Price sings Strauss
1990
Bizet: Carmen Highlights
1990
Leontyne Price - In Concert at the Met
1983
God Bless America
1982
Leontyne Price
1981
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera
1967
Bizet: Carmen
1964
Verdi: Aïda - Highlights
1962
Christmas With Leontyne Price
1961
Mozart: Don Giovanni
1960
Mozart: Don Giovanni - Highlights
1960
Live
