George Shirley

George Shirley (b. Indianapolis, April 18, 1934 - ) – Operatic tenor. Although born in Indianapolis, he moved to Detroit with his family at age six. Following extensive training while growing up in Detroit, he studied music education at Wayne State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1955. Shortly thereafter, he became the first African American high school music teacher in Detroit and the first African American member of the United State Army Chorus. When he completed his military service in 1959, he moved to New York City to pursue a singing career. From 1961 to 1972, Shirley performed twenty-eight roles with the MET and also sang with New York City Opera from 1961 to 1977. Of particular note, he won a Grammy in 1968 for his portrayal of Ferrando in an RCA recording of Cosi fan Tutte by Mozart. His operatic productions have also been recorded on CRI, Decca, Vanguard, Angel, and Columbia. Throughout his five-decade career of operatic and concert singing, he has performed on several prestigious stages worldwide and has worked under Solti, Klemperer, Stravinsky, Ormandy, von Karajan, Colin Davis, Boehm, Ozawa, Haitink, Boult, Leinsdorf, Boulez, DePriest, Krips, Dorati, Pritchard, Bernstein, and Maazel. Since 1987, he has been with the University of Michigan, where he at one time was the Director of Vocal Arts Division and is now Professor Emeritus. He has also taught at Staten Island Community College, the University of Maryland at College Park (1980-87), and the Aspen Music Festival.