| Birth: | Feb. 2, 1903
Danville
Boyle County
Kentucky, USA | | Death: | Feb. 28, 1998
Washington City
District of Columbia
District Of Columbia, USA | 
Opera Singer. He created the role of Porgy in the September 30, 1935, world premiere of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" at Boston's Colonial Theatre. Raised in Kentucky, he had his first music lessons from his mother, and later received his bachelor's degree at Indianapolis' Butler University and his master's from Columbia University Teachers College. Duncan made his 1934 professional debut in a production of Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" staged by the Aeollian Opera, an all-black New York City company. When Gershwin was preparing "Porgy and Bess" he stated that his ideal Porgy was a "colored Lawrence Tibbett", and was to choose Duncan after listening to over a hundred baritones, while by contrast Anne Brown was to be the only Bess he auditioned. (Though Gershwin wanted only blacks to perform his work onstage, the original RCA studio recordings featured Lawrence Tibbett and Helen Jepson). Mr. Duncan sang Porgy 124 times the first season, but he almost pulled out of the production before the early-1936 Washington, D.C., run as seating at the National Theater was segregated; in the end, the National's management did save the show by temporarily lifting restrictions. He went on to sing the 1937 and 1942 revivals, eventually performing his signature role about 1,800 times over his career. In 1945, he became the first black to sing with the New York City Opera, appearing as Tonio in Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci", and later as the bullfighter Escamillo from Georges Bizet's "Carmen". He won a 1949 New York Drama Critic's Award for creating the role of Stephen Kumolo in Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars", and in 1955 became the first artist to record Alex North and Hy Zaret's popular "Unchained Melody". A busy recital singer throughout his life, he is said to have performed around 5,000 concerts, his varied programs featuring classical pieces, spirituals, and other fare. Mr. Duncan was a respected professor at Howard University for over 50 years, and in later years taught at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute. He received the George Peabody Medal from the Peabody Conservatory in 1984, and was later honored with the Donaldson Medal by the NAACP. Active literally to the end, he died of a heart attack in the upstairs of his home with a music student downstairs waiting for their lesson. Much of his rather small recorded legacy is preserved on CD, including the original cast "Porgy and Bess" discs cut for Decca in 1940. (bio by: Bob Hufford)
Search Amazon for Todd Duncan | | | Burial:
Fort Lincoln Cemetery
Brentwood
Prince George's County
Maryland, USA |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Bob Hufford
Record added: Jun 16, 2008
Find A Grave Memorial# 27601712 |
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