Star Struck
The day had come when I would be meeting an opera singer who is the lead singer in Aida at the Metropolitan House of Opera, one of the world’s most famous places for opera. Her name was Angela M. Brown. I thought Ms. Brown would be a very reserved and serious person since that she is such a famous singer of classical music. However, that was not the case. She was very energetic and charismatic. I think she was very warm and friendly for a celebrity. She told us the story of how she became an opera singer at the MET.
She was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and lived a very “Midwestern type life.” Her mother was a singer and an artist. At first, Brown did not have a real interest in classical music. She preferred to sing Gospel music. She began college at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. After a while, she realized that you cannot learn about singing without learning classical music. Her talent soon became recognized by her teachers and the clergy. However, she felt a tug of war between pleasing her teachers, the clergy, and even her peers and doing her own “thang,” which was learning and singing Gospel music. After a while, she began to become more interested in classical music and realized it served as a base for other types of music. She also became aware of the fact that, “if you develop a good technique, you can sing all kinds of genres.”
After received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oakwood, she would attend the School of Music at Indiana University. She was a student of Virginia Zeani. Zeani had an ambitious vision of Brown’s future, but Brown still never believed she had such potential. Nevertheless, she began to compete and pursue a singing career. Her first big break was winning a competition in the early 1980s, and she was awarded a trip to New York City. It was the first time she had been to New York and the fourth time she had competed in that competition. She saw the potential NYC had for her singing career. She decided to move there a few years later. For a while, she would have to put up with bad living conditions, but it didn’t stop her. She continued to audition. The first time Brown auditioned for the MET she caught the flu and did not get the part, but in 2002, she performed well on her call backs and became a back up at the MET. She covered for two years and finally had her debut in 2004. Her performance made the front page of the New York Times under the title, “At last an Aida.” She had finally realized and caught up to the vision.
Today, she is considered one of the best opera singers. However, she does not let it go to her head. She believes that, “to whom much is given, much is required.” She feels being with her friends and family helps to keep her grounded. She also has big plans for her future. She hopes to act and start her own perfume line in the future. Angela M. Brown is a truly wonderful person, full of “flava” and “soul.”