Andrew Benny Frierson (March 29, 1924 – December 6, 2018) was an American operatic

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

and music educator. He was part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve success and is viewed as part of an instrumental group of performers who helped break down the barriers of racial prejudice in the opera world. In 2000 he was the recipient of the Legacy Award by the

National Opera Association National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, an award given annually to recognize the contributions made by African-American artists to opera in America.

Life and career

Born in Columbia, Tennessee on March 29, 1924, Frierson was raised in Kentucky. He earned degrees in vocal performance from the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

and the Juilliard School, and has taught on the voice faculties of

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

and

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

. At Juilliard he studied voice with Belle Julie Soudant; the teacher of opera singers Frances Bible and Gloria Davy. In his early career he was a member of The Belafonte Folk Singers with whom he performed and made recordings both with and without Harry Belafonte. Frierson made his professional opera debut in 1958 as Cal in

Marc Blitzstein Marcus Samuel Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'', directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Wo ...

's '' Regina'' with the New York City Opera; a role which he also recorded with the NYCO on disc for Sony. He continued to perform with the NYCO for the next six consecutive seasons, portraying such roles as Henry Davis in ''

Street Scene A street scene () is a basic model for epic theater set forth by Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and ...

'', the King in '' Aida'', the Messenger/the Shepherd in ''

Oedipus rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

'', Schlémil / Wolfram/ Hermann in '' The Tales of Hoffmann'', and the title role in Gershwin's '' Porgy and Bess''. In 1960 Frierson performed the role of Don Alfonso in ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

'' with the

Chautauqua Opera The Chautauqua Opera is the resident summer opera company of the Chautauqua Institution. It is one of the oldest continuously active summer opera companies in the U.S, having been founded in 1929 as the Chautauqua Opera Association, and it has pr ...

; notably touring with that production to Bermuda. In 1961 he portrayed Joe in the New York City Center revival of Jerome Kern's '' Show Boat'' opposite Jo Sullivan Loesser as Magnolia,

Anita Darian Anita Darian (April 26, 1927 – February 1, 2015) was an American singer and actress who had an extensive career from the 1950s to the 2010s. A soprano, Darian performed roles with the New York City Opera and was a featured soloist with the New ...

as Julie, Robert Rounseville as Gaylord, and Carol Brice as Queenie. He notably sang the song

Ol' Man River "Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical ''Show Boat'' with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, uncaring flow of the Mississipp ...

on '' The Ed Sullivan Show''. In 1975 he appeared jointly with his wife, soprano Billie Lynn Daniel, in recital at Alice Tully Hall. In 1980 he performed the role of Cal in the

Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...

production of ''Regina''. Frierson and Daniel's daughter, actress

Andrea Frierson Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...

, married actor

Jesse D. Goins Jesse D. Goins is an American film and television character actor. He is best known for his role in the 1980s television series ''The Greatest American Hero'' as Cyler Johnson. Goins' career in the film industry includes a role in the 1984 comed ...

in 1977. Andrea later married actor David Toney. Frierson died in Oberlin, Ohio, aged 94.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frierson, Andrew 1924 births 2018 deaths American operatic baritones Juilliard School alumni Manhattan School of Music alumni Oberlin Conservatory of Music faculty Southern University faculty People from Columbia, Tennessee 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male opera singers African-American male opera singers