A Conversation with Morris Robinson
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Series: Art Works Podcast
Length: 27:03
Let's face it, we don't often think about opera singers as being former football players or former corporate salesman, but as we heard that is exactly the background of Morris Robinson. Morris might have taken an untraditional path to opera ; but it's fair to say he has very definitely arrived, singing with the Metropolitan Opera, Boston's Lyric Opera, Opera Pacific, the Philadelphia Opera and on and on. He's become a sought-after singer with his resounding bass and commanding presence, he claims the stage as his own. I had the opportunity to speak with Morris Robinson at the Phoenicia international Festival of the Voice where he sang the role of Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Let's face it, we don't often think about opera singers as being former football players or former corporate salesman, but as we heard that is exactly the background of Morris Robinson. Morris might have taken an untraditional path to opera ; but it's fair to say he has very definitely arrived, singing with the Metropolitan Opera, Boston's Lyric Opera, Opera Pacific, the Philadelphia Opera and on and on. He's become a sought-after singer with his resounding bass and commanding presence, he claims the stage as his own. I had the opportunity to speak with Morris Robinson at the Phoenicia international Festival of the Voice where he sang the role of Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni.
Transcript
Transcript of conversation with Morris Robinson
Morris Robinson: When I left the Citadel, I was a football player there. At the Citadel, I started a gospel choir. I was one of the founders of the gospel choir and I played for them my first year. Played the piano. And after that I would sing special concerts with the cadet choral. And if they had a big solo piece, they'd ask me to sing it. And afterwards, I that was it. You know, I went into Corporate America. I worked for 3M. And singing at everyone's wedding I could think of, all my teammates, and singing The National Anthem at football and baseball games. And that's pretty much what I did for singing for a number of years until whilst living in Woodridge, Virginia. My wife, Denise, suggested that I-- no, she even suggest it, she actually sneakingly set up me up an audition for a the Choral Arts Society of Washington with Norman Scribn...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Giovanni (excerpts) | Morris Robinson, Kerry Henderson, and Louis Oaty | Phoenica International Festival of the Voice | 2011 | 00:00 | |
| Wade in the Water | Morris Robinson | Going Home. | Universal | 00:00 | |
| Walk with Me | Morris Robinson | Going Home . | Universal | 00:00 | |
| Going Home | Morris Robinson | Going Home . | Universal | 00:00 |
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