Seth McCoy did not intend to be a professional singer; he wanted to be a barber. Born in Sanford, NC, his family eventually settled in Cleveland where he sang in choirs. He was drafted into the army and served two years in Korea. After his return to Cleveland, he landed a job as a mail carrier and worked nights preparing for his dream career. During that time, he was introduced to Pauline Thesmacher of the Music Settlement House with whom he studied for seven years. Robert Shaw, assistant conductor for the Cleveland Orchestra, accepted him into the orchestra chorus. Shaw encouraged him to move to New York where he excelled as an oratorio and concert singer; he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera at the age of 50. In interviews he revealed that he always felt less comfortable with operatic performance and preferred oratorios and recital performance. He sang with orchestras across the country and was one of the soloists in the 1972 premiere of Joplin’s Treemonisha with Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony. In 1982 he joined the faculty of the Eastman School of Music and remained there for the rest of his career.

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For further information on this artist:

· “Seth McCoy, 68, Tenor Who Sang In Bach Ensemble. The New York Times, January 26, 1997. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/26/nyregion/seth-mccoy-68-tenor-who-sang-in-bach-ensemble.html. Accessed December 14, 2023.

· Daniel Cariaga, “Tenor Seth McCoy: To Express, Not Impress.” Los Angeles Times. April 11, 1986. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-04-11-ca-4036-story.html. Accessed December 14, 2023.

· Raymond Ericson. “The Real McCoy at the Met.” The New York Times, February 11, 1979. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/11/archives/the-real-mccoy-at-the-met-a-clarion-future-notes-on-music.html. Accessed December 14, 2023.

· “McCoy, Seth Theodore.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University, https://case.edu/ech/articles/m/mccoy-seth-theodore. Accessed December 14, 2023.

· Wallace McClain Cheatham: “Black Male Singers at the Metropolitan Opera.” The Black Perspective in Music, vol 16, no. 1 (Spring 1988), pp. 3-20.

· Donald Neuen: “Making a Statement.” The Choral Journal, Vol 33, no. 1 (August 1992), pp. 16-17.

· William Duncan Allen: “An Overview of Black Concert Music and Musicians in Northern California from the 1940s to the 1980s.” Black Music Research Journal, Vol, 9, no. 1 (Spring 1989), pp. 81-92.

 

Recordings:

· Handel: Messiah. “Ev’ry Valley.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZO-j8Qmytc. Accessed August 24, 2024.

· Bach: St. Matthew Passion, “Geduld! Wenn mich falsche Zungen stechen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NE8I402jrU. Accessed August, 24, 2024. · “ Ich will leiden, ich will schweigen.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QOuVVcb5h0. Accessed August 24, 2024