Found 1 collection related to Davis, Ellabelle, 1907-1960

Ellabelle Davis was a soprano opera singer. Prior to her career as a concert singer, she worked as a dressmaker. Davis began her musical career at The Town Hall in 1942. She was the first African American to play the lead role of Aida during her 1946 performance at the Opera Nacional in Mexico. She resumed her role as Aida at La Scala in 1949 and recorded for Decca in February 1950. Posthumously, an opera based on Davis was performed in 2009 and she was inducted into the New Rochelle Walk of Fame in 2011. This collection consists of performance programs, news clippings, and personal papers pertaining to Ellabelle Davis's career as an opera singer. A few programs document her appearance in a concert with Black composer Harry T. Burleigh. less