Alumna Interview: Osceola Davis (Opera '72)—Part Two
From success in Germany to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, I’d love to know more about your historic debut as Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte and what that moment still means to you to this day.
Singing on the Metropolitan Opera Stage in New York City was really a dream come true. That was my goal, and Curtis Institute of Music helped me to achieve it. It’s a wonderful memory. I was expecting to sing Rosina, but when I was offered a chance to sing at the Met, they were not doing The Barber of Seville with a soprano. When I came along, Roberta Peters was doing it, but they had gone back to it being sung by a mezzo.
When I was offered Queen of the Night, that was a role I thought someone much more my senior would be doing, so I was surprised. But my agent at the time said that if you don’t accept it, they will never offer you anything else. So, I did, and it really catapulted my career. [This Magic Flute] was the Mark Chagall production where she comes in on top of a mountain. Because of the acoustics of the set, I couldn’t really hear. It was just going right over the orchestra. So, I really had to give a lot, but it was a beautiful, fun experience. Without that moment, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you today.
Watch Osceola Davis’ performance of the Queen of the Night’s aria “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,” in the second act of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Die Zauberflöte at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland.
What are some of your favorite roles you’ve sung, and why?
To be absolutely honest with you, no role has really grabbed me the way Zerbinetta has—it’s such a big, happy role. Every role I’ve done has its difficulties, but when it comes to the second act, she is dancing and singing almost the whole time. She’s me. I can see myself bouncing around, just wanting to have fun and trying to be good to people.
I enjoyed singing the Queen of the Night, because it’s regal and majestic. I liked Gilda, because the music is so pretty. I enjoyed doing Olympia, because that was a challenge and a feat—being mechanical and yet having a gorgeous flow. They were my favorite roles. I remember Mrs. Lee said, “You’ve got to sing Olympia.” So, that’s a role I learned right there at Curtis. In fact, I think I learned all of them when I was at Curtis. So really, [the school] was on display while I was in Europe, by me singing the repertoire that I learned there.
Following an international operatic career with recordings, high-profile television spots, and more, you stepped into academia. What do you love the most about teaching voice?
I knew there was a college [Lehman College, part of the City University of New York, in the Bronx] not too far from me, and I went over there, had my interview, and was accepted right away because of my experience on the stage. When I graduated with my master’s, I was hired to join the faculty. So that’s that.
Number one, as I work with my students, I see myself all over again as a student and I appreciate the influence that Mrs. Lee had on me. The patience and the drive—that was a woman of drive. I won’t say I’m trying to mimic her in my own teaching, but it made such an impression on me, I realized that’s what they can use now. Many of these students are just not exposed to opera or classical art songs, and I want to be able to introduce them to it so that they can appreciate something else other than the little things we all hear on TV now and then. I present it to them and encourage them to learn a foreign language. As we sing, I go after them with an iron thumb, but also with a lollipop, so to speak. They are all very appreciative, and many of my students have come back and thanked me for it.
Do you have any advice for upcoming Curtis graduates and the next generation of classical singers?
I never dreamed that I would be a student at Curtis. That was such a high plateau. When my brother told me to go and sing, I was reluctant because I didn’t think I would be accepted, but much to my surprise, I was. That was my encouragement, especially with Mrs. Lee pushing me so. It really taught me to go with my dream and never give up.
Advice? You must be honest with yourself. Don’t just sing because you enjoy it. Everyone coming from Curtis has promising careers ahead of them. They wouldn’t be there in the first place if not, and it may not happen overnight. If it doesn’t work one way, work another way, but keep it honest. Remember—it’s very important—that the way you treat people is the way they will treat you. I also would say, don’t doubt yourself. Go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Interview with Osceola Davis by Ryan Scott Lathan. Read part one. This interview was edited and condensed.
OSCEOLA DAVIS BIOGRAPHY
Internationally acclaimed soprano Osceola Davis (Opera ’72) began her musical journey in Camden, New Jersey, where she studied with Viennese voice teacher Adele Newfield and learned Rosina’s aria “Una voce poco fa” from Gioachino Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. This early training led her to win first place in the local Shriner’s Competition (Zamora Temple of the Prince Hall) with that particular aria and represent the chapter in the national competition in St. Louis, where she earned third place.
Emboldened by the win, Ms. Davis went on to continue her studies, earning Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music Education degrees from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia before entering Curtis Institute of Music in 1970, where she worked with the late Sylvia Olden Lee, and performed operatic roles in Così fan tutte, Der Freischütz, and I quattro rusteghi (The School for Fathers). After teaching music in Camden and Philadelphia public schools, she joined the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Studio and attended the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Wolf Trap Summer Festival. After a brief stint on Broadway, Ms. Davis made her European debut as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Munich and later became the first Afro-American coloratura to perform the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at the Metropolitan Opera, igniting a career that took her to major opera houses across the globe, including Covent Garden, La Scala, and the Savonlinna Opera Festival. She later earned a Master of Arts degree in teaching music from Lehman College, CUNY, and currently serves on the faculty there as adjunct assistant professor in the music department.
Ms. Davis has performed for presidents and ambassadors and has concertized at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall. Her repertoire includes roles such as Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Ms. Davis’ reviews highlight her remarkable vocal qualities, with the New York Times praising her “clear, vibrant and full” voice extending to the high “F” region, Finland’s Helsingen Sanomat noting her blend of “delicate gracefulness and strength, with a nightingale-like voice,” and Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung describing it as “a voice of unlimited capability.” Ms. Davis is listed in Marquis Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World publications.
