Baritone opera singer Todd Duncan made history by becoming the first African-American to sing with a major American opera company, and the first to perform with an all-white cast. Duncan was also a music professor at Howard University during a period where his career was just beginning to take off.
Born Robert Todd Duncan on February 12, 1903, the Kentucky native was classically trained at Butler University in Indiana, then obtained his master’s degree from Teachers College at Columbia University.
In 1934, Duncan made his operatic debut for the all-Black Aeolian Opera in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. It was around this time when Duncan was teaching voice at Howard, but was still training his own voice with a series of instructors. In 1935, Duncan’s big break came when George Gershwin was looking to cast the lead in his Porgy and Bess opera.
According to a personal account, Duncan initially scoffed at the role and thought Gershwin’s music to be inferior to the classical styles he was more accustomed to. However, Duncan became Gershwin’s first Porgy and made improvements upon the character. Duncan traveled to South Carolina to learn the southern accent that was better suited to the role.
Little Known Black History Fact: Todd Duncan was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
