Gershwin's Porgy & Bess - 1942 Oakland Auditorium - Todd Duncan Signed Program
This is a 1942 program from the opera Porgy and Bess at the Oakland Auditorium. It is signed by Todd Duncan who was playing Porgy, June Hawkins who was playing Bess and Ruby Elza who was playing Serena.Todd Duncan, the baritone who created the role of Porgy in Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bess'' and was the first black singer to join the New York City Opera,Mr. Duncan, whose stage credits beyond Porgy include the Lord's General in Vernon Duke's ''Cabin in the Sky'' and Stephen Kumalo in the first production of Kurt Weill's ''Lost in the Stars,'' was known for his elegant phrasing and burnished tone, as well as his dramatic persuasiveness. Those qualities won him his debut role at the New York City Opera in 1945, when he sang Tonio in a production of Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci.''Although he had appeared in New York with black opera companies, starting with a 1934 production of Mascagni's ''Cavalleria Rusticana,'' with the Aeolian Opera, his City Opera debut made him the first black singer to perform opera with a white cast. That debut occurred 10 years before Marian Anderson made her celebrated debut at the Metropolitan Opera. By then he had also appeared at City Opera as Escamillo in Bizet's ''Carmen'' and in the title role of Verdi's ''Rigoletto.''The program measures 6 X 9 folded. It unfolds as shown. It has some discoloration from age and some small rips on folds. inv 9
Specifications
| Return Shipping Will Be Paid By | Buyer |
| All Returns Accepted | Returns Accepted |
| Item Must Be Returned Within | 30 Days |
| Refund Will Be Given As | Money Back |
| Country/Region Of Manufacture | United States |
| Culture | Black Americana |
This is a 1942 program from the opera Porgy and Bess at the Oakland Auditorium. It is signed by Todd Duncan who was playing Porgy, June Hawkins who was playing Bess and Ruby Elza who was playing Serena.Todd Duncan, the baritone who created the role of Porgy in Gershwin’s  »Porgy and Bess » and was the first black singer to join the New York City Opera,Mr. Duncan, whose stage credits beyond Porgy include the Lord’s General in Vernon Duke’s  »Cabin in the Sky » and Stephen Kumalo in the first production of Kurt Weill’s  »Lost in the Stars, » was known for his elegant phrasing and burnished tone, as well as his dramatic persuasiveness. Those qualities won him his debut role at the New York City Opera in 1945, when he sang Tonio in a production of Leoncavallo’s  »Pagliacci. »Although he had appeared in New York with black opera companies, starting with a 1934 production of Mascagni’s  »Cavalleria Rusticana, » with the Aeolian Opera, his City Opera debut made him the first black singer to perform opera with a white cast. That debut occurred 10 years before Marian Anderson made her celebrated debut at the Metropolitan Opera. By then he had also appeared at City Opera as Escamillo in Bizet’s  »Carmen » and in the title role of Verdi’s  »Rigoletto. »The program measures 6 X 9 folded. It unfolds as shown. It has some discoloration from age and some small rips on folds. inv 9
