Camilla Williams, Black Opera Pioneer, Dies at 92

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Camilla Williams 1936. Photo: Carl Van Vechten
Camilla Williams 1936. Photo: Carl Van Vechten

INDIANAPOLIS - Camilla Williams, believed to be the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company, has died. She was 92.

Williams died at her home in Bloomington, Indiana, her attorney, Eric Slotegraaf, said. She died of complications from cancer, said Alain Barker, a spokesman for the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where Williams was a professor emeritus of voice.

Williams' debut with the New York City Opera on May 15, 1946, was thought to make her the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company and came nearly nine years before Marian Anderson became the first African-American singer to appear at New York's more prestigious Metropolitan Opera.

A memorial service has been scheduled at the First United Methodist Church in Bloomington on Feb. 18. APBy KEN KUSMERAssociated Press text, photo and/or graphic material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

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