married Daisy Bell on 11 Jan 1925 Marion Co Indiana
4.i George Irving Shirley (born April 18, 1934 in Indianapolis,
Indiana) is a renowned tenor opera singer.[photograph from
Wikipedia]
[biography on Wikipedia] At the
age of 6, his family relocated to Detroit, Michigan, 
where
he began music lessons. He became active as a vocalist at churches
in the area and as a baritone-horn player in a local band.
Shirley entered Wayne State University
in Detroit as a music education major, receiving his bachelors
degree in 1955. He was drafted into the military the following
year and became the first African-American member of the United
States Army Chorus. After his discharge in 1959, he continued
studying voice with Therny Georgi, then he moved to New York
where his professional career began.
He made his debut with a small
opera troupe at Woodstock, New York, as Eisenstein in their production
of Die Fledermaus. He went to Italy to make his European debut
as Rodolfo in the Puccini opera, La bohème.
In 1961, he won the Metropolitan
Opera Auditions by performing Nessun dorma, beginning an eleven-year
association with the house. While at the Met, he sang a twenty-eight
different roles from twenty-six operas, especially those of Mozart,
Verdi, Puccini, Strauss and Wagner. From 1961 (in La bohème)
to 1977, he also sang at the New York City Opera. In 1977 he
sang the title role in the complete recording of Orlando Paladino,
by Haydn, and conducted by Dorati, for the Decca label.
Shirley received a Grammy Award
in 1968 for singing the role of "Ferrando" in the RCA
recording of Mozart's Così fan tutte. He has made numerous
other recordings, including one of Debussy's Pelléas et
Mélisande, with Pierre Boulez. He is also a member of
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America.
From the 1960s to the present,
Shirley has performed on the concert stage, singing recitals
and oratorios. He has premiered several works during his career,
on both the concert and operatic stages. In recent years, he
again became involved with education.
He taught at the University of
Maryland College Park from 1980 until he accepted a position
at the University of Michigan in 1987. He currently serves there
as Director of the Vocal Arts Division, Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished
University Professor of Music.
married Gladys Lee Ishop in 1956;
children:
5.i Olwyn Shirley
5.ii Lyle Shirley
