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Soprano Sissieretta”Black Patti” Jones performs at the White House.
1892 (Mar 1)
Sissieretta Jones, the "Black Patti," performed for President Benjamin Harrison at the White House. Jones, a soprano, was born in Virginia, spent her childhood in Providence, Rhode Island, and studied at the New England Conservatory. She first attracted the attention of critics in 1892 when she appeared at the Jubilee Spectacle and Cakewalk at Madison Square Garden in New York. One critic called her the "Black Patti," a comparison with the Italian prima donna Adelina Patti. According to some authorities, "Black Patti Jones" was sought for roles in Aida and L'Africaine by the Metropolitan Opera, but the project was dropped, reportedly because the "musical world was not ready to accept Black prima donnas." Jones toured Europe in 1893. Upon her return to the United States, she organized an all-Black company, "Black Patti's Troubadours," in which she was the featured soloist. Jones died in 1933.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.