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DGF is focused on the intersection of social justice, American history, and the arts. Deeply inspired by the achievements of America’s hidden musical figures, the foundation is invested in doing research and educating the public about their remarkable stories of courage and persistence. From enriching our musical heritage to preparing the diverse pool of tomorrow’s vocal stars, DGF will positively impact how artists are valued in this nation, encouraging inclusive opportunity, access, and advocacy for the next generation.
OUR PURPOSE AND VISION
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NOVEMBER 17, 2024
3:00 PM EST
Asbury United Methodist Church
"Voices of our Time" Concert
Annapolis Opera presents a program of inspiring performances and interpretations featuring The Denyce Graves Foundation’s "Shared Voices," an unprecedented collaboration between HBCUs and top schools of music in the United States. This collaboration is a testament to the power of partnership in creating meaningful opportunities in the arts.
DECEMBER 13 7:00PM
Boordy Vineyards
DECEMBER 15 3:00PM
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
Sounds of the Season
Maryland Opera celebrates the holidays with Sounds of the Season featuring stellar young artists performing operatic and holiday favorites. Featuring baritone, Marvin Wayne, Artistic Ambassador of
The Denyce Graves Foundation.
EVENTS
HIDDEN VOICES SPOTLIGHT
Andrew Frierson
Andrew Frierson was born in Columbia, Tennessee, but his family moved to Louisville, Kentucky when he was nine months old. He enrolled in Fisk University as a music major until he was drafted into the U.S. Army before he graduated; he served in the South Pacific in the later years of World War II. After the war, he was accepted into the Juilliard school, studying in the same class as Leontyne Price and Billie Lynn Daniel (who he married in 1953). He graduated in 1950. He first sang at Carnegie Hall while a student and performed his first operatic role in Marc Blitzstein’s Regina in 1958 with the New York City Opera. He remained in the company for six seasons, appearing in Porgy and Bess, Aïda, and Monteverdi’s Orfeo. He is most remembered for his interpretation of the roles of Porgy and Joe from Showboat.
In addition to his operatic roles, he was a member of the Belafonte Folk Singers under the leadership of Harry Belafonte and sang at the 1963 March on Washington. He was also an educator, teaching at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA (1950s), directing the Henry Street Settlement music School in Manhattan (1969-1973), and serving on the faculty of Oberlin Conservatory of Music and conducting the Oberlin Black Ensemble for two years (1970s). Afterwards he returned to New York City to perform and teach voice.
Mr. Frierson and James Kennon-Wilson co-founded Independent Black Opera Singers (c.1981) to advocate and support Black male performers. In an interview with Wallace Cheatham, he stated “There has not been a ‘real’ black male opera superstar because of the racist and sexist attitudes in American…. Audiences, particularly white audiences, may tolerate a black woman being wood and pursued by a white male, but to have a black male wooing and pursuing a white female is totally unacceptable by the powers that be.” He received the Lift Every Voice Legacy Award from the National Opera Association (2000).
OUR STORY
DGF is rooted in the belief that now is the time to increase our nation’s commitment to its artists, both past and present—for America’s future and for the whole world. In paying homage to the achievements of so many who have gone before while serving the real needs of today’s emerging artist singers, The Denyce Graves Foundation is giving back and paying it forward at the same time.
OUR MUSIC CONSERVATORY PARTNERS
The Denyce Graves Foundation is proud to partner with the following Music Conservatories for the 2022 - 2023 Shared Voices program. Click on each institution's logo to learn more.
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Washington, DC 20035
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NYC, NY 10019
917-821-3437
Our Federal tax ID is 86-2276658.
The Denyce Graves Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.
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IN THE NEWS
The Denyce Graves Foundation Appoints New Music Director
DGF has now appointed the French conductor Pierre Vallet as its new Music Director. A graduate of L’Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, Vallet is also a pianist, lecturer, and guest teacher at world-leading institutions, plus has guest conducted at many opera houses worldwide.
Denyce Graves on THE PASSION OF MARY CARDWELL DAWSON at North Carolina Opera
Broadway World speaks with Denyce Graves about THE PASSION OF MARY CARDWELL DAWSON at North Carolina Opera in December of 2024.
NPR Music: Opera star Denyce Graves’ global compassion in red, white and blue
Lara Downs interviews Founder and Artistic Director, Denyce Graves in her NPR Classical California segment "AMPLIFY." It was from one of her students that she first heard about Mary Cardwell Dawson, fostering the careers of hundreds of young Black singers during an era of institutional racism and segregation. She spearheaded fundraising efforts to restore Dawson’s historic building and collaborated with the Glimmerglass Festival to produce and premiere a new musical play called The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson. That’s just one example of the passion-into-action that drives Denyce and her Foundation.
OUR HBCU PARTNERS
The Denyce Graves Foundation is proud to partner with the following Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the 2022 - 2023 Shared Voices program. Click on each institution's logo to learn more.