Harolyn Blackwell

Harolyn Blackwell, born November 23, 1955, in Washington, D.C., is an American lyric coloratura soprano whose career has encompassed opera houses, concert halls, and Broadway stages across the United States and Europe. The eldest of five children, she was raised by parents who were both teachers and active participants in the Civil Rights Movement. Her father, Harold Blackwell, for whom she was named, worked as a redevelopment specialist with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, while her mother taught physical education and health at the University of the District of Columbia.

Blackwell's introduction to music came through her fourth grade teacher, Nancy Notargiacomo, who later became her voice and piano teacher when Blackwell was ten years old. A high school choral director further encouraged her to pursue music professionally. During high school she performed in productions including The Sound of Music, Brigadoon, and Oliver!, though she also considered careers in history and fashion design before committing to music. She attended Catholic University, where she majored in vocal music education while also participating in the university's drama and musical theater programs. After earning her undergraduate degree in 1977, she taught music at two parochial schools while continuing graduate vocal studies at Catholic University, where she performed the roles of Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium and Giannetta in L'elisir d'amore. She received her Master of Vocal Performance in 1980.

Her earliest professional work was with Toby Orenstein's the Young Columbians, with whom she performed in 1976 and 1977. In 1979, while preparing a recital program for her master's degree, she auditioned for the Broadway revival of West Side Story. Leonard Bernstein personally selected her for the role of Francisca, which had been named Consuela in the original 1957 production, and she also served as understudy for Maria in the 1980 revival. As Francisca, she sang "Somewhere" from the orchestra pit during the musical's final scene. She subsequently toured with the production for two and a half years. Critics at the show's premiere noted a resemblance between her voice and that of Reri Grist, who had originated the role of Consuela. Blackwell later met Grist in 1985, when Grist coached her for her European debut as Oscar in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera with the Hamburg State Opera. She repeated that role the following year at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

In 1981, Blackwell was accepted into both the Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago young artist programs, ultimately choosing Chicago. After a year with the company, she returned to New York to study vocal technique with Shirlee Emmons. She won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1983, an achievement that decisively redirected her career toward opera. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1987 as Poussette in Manon and subsequently appeared with the company in productions including Un ballo in maschera, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Fledermaus, and Werther.

In 1989, Blackwell performed and recorded the role of Clara in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The recording won a Grammy Award, and she performed the aria "Summertime" at the 1990 Grammy Awards ceremony. In 1991, she debuted with the San Francisco Opera as Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni and gave a performance as Oscar in Un ballo in maschera with the Metropolitan Opera opposite Luciano Pavarotti, which was filmed and broadcast on PBS's Great Performances. That same year she portrayed Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with the Canadian Opera Company. In 1993, she appeared on Great Performances again in the concert Sondheim — A Celebration at Carnegie Hall, performing music from Sweeney Todd, a concert later released on both DVD and CD.

In 1994, Blackwell replaced Kathleen Battle as Marie in La fille du régiment at the Metropolitan Opera for the entire run of the production after Battle was dismissed for unprofessional conduct. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Blackwell worked to expand her repertoire from the soubrette roles she had become associated with since 1987 into the lyric coloratura repertoire. With the support of companies including Seattle Opera, she established herself in roles such as Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Olympia in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann. Throughout her career she has also periodically returned to musical theater in staged productions, concert work, and recitals, and is recognized for her interpretations and recordings of the works of Leonard Bernstein. Her Broadway credits span 1980 to 1997 and include West Side Story and Candide.