Jessye Norman is one of the most admired contemporary opera singers  and recitalists. Born on 15th September 1945 in Augusta, Georgia, both her mother and grandmother were pianists and her father sang in church. Jessye pursued her formal musical studies at Howard University, then later at the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Michigan. She made her operatic debut in 1969 as Elisabeth in Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the Berlin State Opera. Frequently called upon to perform at public events and ceremonies, these have included the 1985 and 1997 U.S. presidential inaugurations, the sixtieth birthday celebration of Queen Elizabeth II and the bicentennial of the French Revolution in Paris’s Place de la Concorde. Her many prestigious awards and distinctions include honorary doctorates at over 20 universities and organisations around the world.  

CD's by Norman include:

• Strauss, Four Last Songs; Wagner; Wesendonk-Lieder  
• The Jessye Norman Collection; a Wagner Collection
• The Essential Jessye Norman  
• Very Best of Singers
• Bizet: Carmen

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