Jessye Norman

About

American opera singer best known for her roles in the operas of Richard Wagner, such as Lohengrin, Tannhäuser and Tristan and Isolde.

Before Fame

She was singing in the Mount Calvary Baptist Church by age four.

Trivia

She received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 2006.

Family Life

Her father was an insurance salesman, and her mother was a schoolteacher.

Associated With

In 1980, she played the title role in the Richard Strauss opera Ariadne auf Naxos.