Denyce Graves (born March 7, 1963 in Washington, DC) is an American opera singer.

She is a mezzo soprano and began vocal training at the Duke Ellington School of Arts in Washington in the late 1980s. She also studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the prestigious New England Conservatory. She debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1995 and has appeared at many opera houses. Though her repertoire is extensive, her signature part is that of the title role in Carmen. On January 20, 2005, she sang the patriotic song "American Anthem" during the 55th Presidential Inauguration, between the swearing in of Vice President Dick Cheney and the swearing in of President George W. Bush for their second terms in office.

Many people will most remember Graves singing "America the Beautiful" and "Lord's Prayer" at the Washington National Cathedral during the memorial service honoring the victims of 9/11 on September 14, 2001, which Bush, members of Congress, and past and present leaders attended.

In 2003, Graves performed in front of a live audience at the Met for a television special, Denyce Graves: Breaking the Rules. Since 2005, she has hosted a radio show, Voce di Donna (Voice of a Lady), on XM Satellite Radio.

She also was a part of internet history, performing the opera "Werther" with Andrea Boccelli for the Michigan Opera Theatre, the first opera broadcast on the internet in its entirety in 1999. She is currently an industry panelist on American Idol Underground.

External link

• Denyce Graves

1963 births | Living people | African Americans | African-American singers | Oberlin College alumni