Dorothy Maynor (September 3, 1910 – February 19, 1996) was an American soprano, concert singer, and the founder of the Harlem School of the Arts.
Early life
Maynor was born Dorothy Leigh Mainor in 1910 to Reverend J. Mainor, a local African-American Methodist minister in the town of Norfolk, Virginia. She attended the Hampton Institute where she studied under R. Nathaniel Dett. After her graduation from the Institute in 1933 she received a four-year scholarship to the Westminster Choir School in Princeton, New Jersey.[1]
Career
In 1939, she performed at the Berkshire Festival where she was noticed by Sergei Koussevitzky, conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Impressed by her singing, he arranged her debut at The Town Hall in New York City on 9 December 1939. She received the Town Hall Endowment Series Award for 1940 as a result of this performance.[2] In New York, she was taught by voice instructors William Clamroth and John Alan Haughton.[3] Despite the fact that racism precluded her from performing in opera houses, Maynor toured extensively throughout the USA, Europe, and Latin America, performing in concert halls and frequently on the radio. She is noted as the first African American to sing at a presidential inauguration, performing at President Harry S. Truman's inaugural gala in 1949[4] and at President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1953 presidential inauguration at Constitution Hall,[5] where the Daughters of the American Revolution famously refused to let Marian Anderson sing in 1939.
In 1964, she founded the Harlem School of the Arts which was designed to give music education at a reduced rate to the children of Harlem.[6] Under Maynor's directorship the school grew from 20 students to 1,000 by the time of her retirement in 1979. She received honorary degrees from several universities including Westminster Choir College, Oberlin College, The Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford), and two degrees from Howard University. In 1975, she became the first African-American on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Opera. She died on 19 February 1996 in West Chester, Pennsylvania.[7]
Personal life
In 1942, she married Reverend Shelby Rooks, the pastor of Harlem's St. James Presbyterian Church where the Harlem School of the Arts was originally located. After her retirement from the School, Maynor moved to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania with her husband.[7]
Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) in Harlem, New York was founded in 1964 by soprano Dorothy Maynor, and offers its programs to students of all ages. Mezzo-soprano Betty Allen succeeded Maynor as President in 1979 when a new 37,000 square foot facility designed by Ulrich Franzen was completed. Other Presidents include Allicia Adams, Camille Akjeu, and Daryl Durham. In August 2015, new President and CEO, Eric G. Pryor, was named.
According to its website, the mission of the Harlem School of the Arts is "to enrich the lives of children and their families in the Harlem community and beyond, through exposure to and instruction in the arts." [1] In 2005, the school was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.[2][3]
Harlem School of the Arts was able to weather the financial crisis experienced in 2010, and stabilize its fiscal position due to a generous gift of 6 million dollars from the Herb Alpert Foundation. Now HSA stands poise to implement sustainable business model, under the leadership of Board Chairman Charles J. Hamilton, Jr., Esq., Vice Chair Janice Savin Williams, and newly appointed President, Eric G. Pryor. This notable performing arts institution celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015.
The school offers courses in four disciplines; music, theatre, visual arts, and dance. Courses in music include classical, jazz, gospel, R & B, electronic and world music. Dance courses including ballet, modern, ethnic, jazz, and tap dance. In addition to theater classes, the visual art department offers courses which include sculpture, and photography (digital and film).
The school's students are of diverse cultural backgrounds, and tuition is relatively inexpensive in contrast to similar educational institutions in the United States. HSA provides financial aid on a first-come, first-served basis through the generous donations on the Herb Alpert Foundation and other generous benefactors.[4]
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five".[1] Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at Tanglewood.
Andris Nelsons is the current music director of the BSO. Bernard Haitink currently holds the title of conductor emeritus of the BSO, and Seiji Ozawa has the title of BSO music director laureate.