Shirley Verrett

Shirley Verrett (accent on the last syllable, VerrETT) was one of America's finest opera stars and recital singers, and was one of the remarkable generation of great African-American singers who came to international prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. She studied voice in Los Angeles with Anna Fitziu and Hall Johnson. In 1955, she won the nationally broadcast CBS program Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, leading her to join the Juilliard School. While still a student, she appeared in professional engagements of exceptional importance, including a performance of Falla's El amor ...