Roland Hayes
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; purchase funded by Lawrence A. Fleischman and Howard Garfinkle with a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
Accession Number
NPG.72.81
Tags
About this artwork
Born on the plantation where his mother had once been a slave, lyric tenor Roland Hayes found his voice while singing African American spirituals in the church choir. He first encountered classical music through a recording of Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso. âThat opened the heavens for me,â Hayes later recalled. âThe beauty of what could be done with the voice just overwhelmed me.â Initially rebuffed by professional managers because of his race, Hayes arranged and promoted his own co...