George Shirley
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Aged 6, his family relocated to Detroit, Michigan, where he began music lessons. He became active as a vocalist at churches in the area and as a baritone horn player in a local band.
Shirley entered Wayne State University in Detroit as a music education major, receiving his bachelors degree in 1955. He was drafted into the military the following year and became the first African-American member of the United States Army Chorus. After his discharge in 1959, he continued studying voice with Therny Georgi, then he moved to New York where his professional career began.
Shirley received a Grammy Award in 1968 for singing the role Ferrando in the RCA recording of Mozart's Cosė fan tutte.
From the 1960s to the present, Shirley has performed on the concert stage, singing recitals and oratorios. He has premiered several works during his career, on both the concert and operatic stages. In recent years, he again became involved with education. He taught at the University of Maryland College Park from 1980 until he accepted a position at the University of Michigan in 1987. He currently serves there as Director of the Vocal Arts Division, Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Professor of Music.
Links
Biography of Shirley from the University of Michigan (http://www.music.umich.edu/faculty/shirley.george.lasso)
