National Negro Opera Company [SEP] end time
National Negro Opera Company
The National Negro Opera Company (1941–1962) was the first African-American opera company in the United States.
Organized in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under the direction of Mary Cardwell Dawson, the company was launched with a performance at the local Syria Mosque. The star was La Julia Rhea, and other members included Minto Cato, Carol Brice, Robert McFerrin, and Lillian Evanti. During its 21-year run, NNOC also mounted productions in Washington D.C., New York City, and Chicago.
The
. It is a hit among German troops, and spreads to British and American soldiers, in a version by Marlene Dietrich soon after. It is one of the most popular songs of the war.
- Mary Cardwell Dawson founds the National Negro Opera Company, the first permanent African-American opera company, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- "King Biscuit Time", one of the longest-living and most celebrated and influential blues radio programs, is first broadcast out of KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. It is