Kathleen Battle was born on August 13, 1948 in Portsmouth, Ohio, USA.
She was the youngest of seven children in the African-American family,
with a good tradition of singing spirituals. She graduated from the
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Ohio (1971)
and taught music to Cincinnati's inner-city youth, while continuing her
vocal studies privately. In 1972 she was hired by then conductor or the
Cincinnati Symphony, Thomas Schippers, to perform at the 1972 Festival
of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy.
Being blessed with the silky, silvery timbre of her lyric coloratura
soprano, and the talent that has little limitations, she made
performances and recordings in a variety of styles and genres,
including classical sacred music, spirituals and traditional jazz.
Battle performed leading parts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York,
in the operas of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Richard Strauss, and
Gaetano Donizetti. She also worked with
conductor
James Levine, as well as with jazz musicians such as
Cyrus Chestnut,
James Carter,
Grover Washington Jr., and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Her
performances with tenors
Luciano Pavarotti,
PlĂĄcido Domingo, and conductors
Herbert von Karajan,
Claudio Abbado,
Seiji Ozawa,
André Previn,
Georg Solti,
Lorin Maazel,
Riccardo Muti are documented on
video and sound recordings.
Battle is arguably the only lyric soprano with the ability to bridge
the gap between the European bel canto opera and the African-American
tradition of vocal improvisation. Her recordings of classical sacred
arias by
Johann Sebastian Bach,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joaquino Rossini, and 'Gabriel Faure', as well as
her recordings of spirituals, lullabies and folksongs in a jazz
setting, are among the finest examples of her cross-cultural works.
She was a five-time Grammy award winner, and won an Emmy Award in 1991.
She received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a New
Opera Production for her debut performance at the Covent Garden Royal
Opera House, London. Battle is the recipient of several honorary
doctorates from universities. She was indicted in the NAACP Image Hall
Of Fame in 1999.
L'elisir d'amore(1991)as Adina
Die Zauberflöte(1991)as Pamina
The Metropolitan Opera Presents(1977)as Rosina, Susanna, Zerbinetta
Don Giovanni(1987)as Zerlina
House of Flying Daggers ...A Look Inside(2004)
Ted K(2021)
Dirty Cops: Ta Batsonia: A Greek Novel About Crisis(2014)
Dirty Cops-Ta Batsonia No.3(2013)
2008 American Music Awards(2008)
House of Flying Daggers(2004)
Legends Ball(2006)as Self
An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Stevie Wonder(2006)as Self
Great Performances(1971)as Self
Sternstunden der Musik(2018)as Self
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live(2006)as Self - Zerbinetta from Ariadne auf Naxos
Bravo Pavarotti(2010)as Adina