Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1945 September 15 | Born in Augusta, Georgia, to Janie Mae King-Norman (1915-1988), a teacher and amateur pianist, and Silas Norman (1914-1979), an insurance broker |
| circa 1953 | Placed third in her first competition at Mount Calvary Baptist Church singing "God Will Take Care of You" |
| 1961 | Performed at the Marian Anderson Music Scholarship Competition in Philadelphia Awarded a full scholarship to Howard University in Washington, D.C., after singing for voice instructor Carolyn Grant |
| 1963-1967 | Graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Music degree |
| 1967 Summer | Studied at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore |
| 1968 | Graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Music degree in voice Won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich |
| 1969 | Operatic debut as Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser with the Deutsche Oper Berlin |
| 1970 | Orchestral debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony and conductor Dean Dixon |
| 1972 | La Scala debut as title role in Verdi's Aida |
| 1972 September | Royal Opera House debut in Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens |
| circa 1972-1980 | Took a hiatus from opera to allow voice to mature; concentrated on recitals and orchestral performances |
| 1980 | Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance for the album Berg: Der Wein - Concert Aria |
| 1982 | United States operatic debut with the Philadelphia Opera Company as Jocasta in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas Awarded honorary doctorate from Howard University, the first of more than 40 such honors received in her lifetime |
| 1983 | Metropolitan Opera debut as Cassandra and Dido in Les Troyens, the first of her 80 performances with the company |
| 1984 | Awarded the title of Commandeur d'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government |
| 1985 | Performed at Ronald Reagan's second Presidential Inauguration Awarded first Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Performance for the album Ravel: Songs of Maurice Ravel |
| 1987 | Became a member of the British Royal Academy of Music |
| 1989 | Awarded second Grammy for Best Opera Recording for the album Wagner: Lohengrin |
| 1989 July 14 | Performed "La Marseillaise" at the bicentennial of the French Revolution at Place de la Concorde in Paris |
| 1989 October | Awarded France's Legion d'honneur |
| 1990 | Named an Honorary Ambassador to the United Nations Performed "Spirituals in Concert" with Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall Awarded third Grammy for Best Opera Recording for the album Wagner: Die Walküre |
| 1994 | Performed at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's funeral in Washington, D.C. |
| 1996 | Performed at the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia |
| 1997 January 20 | Performed at Bill Clinton's second Presidential Inauguration |
| 1997 December | Awarded the Kennedy Center Honor |
| 1998 | Performed Sacred Ellington at Carnegie Hall and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine |
| 1999 | Awarded the Kennedy Center Honor Awarded fourth Grammy for Best Opera Recording for Béla Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle with Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra |
| 2000 | Awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal for civic contributions Released first jazz album, I Was Born to Love with You: Jessye Norman Sings Michel Legrand |
| 2000 September | Premiered woman.life.song at Carnegie Hall, with music by Judith Weir and text by Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Clarissa Pinkola Estes |
| 2002 March 11 | Performed "America, the Beautiful" at the Tribute of Light ceremony, which featured two columns of light at the site of the World Trade Center in memory of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 |
| 2002 | Performed at former President Jimmy Carter's Nobel Peace Prize ceremonial events in Oslo, Norway |
| 2003 September | Founded the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in Augusta, Georgia, to provide arts education for disadvantaged youth |
| 2006 February | Presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for Classical Music |
| 2007 | Elected as an American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellow |
| 2009 | Curated Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy at Carnegie Hall |
| 2010 February 25 | Awarded the 2009 National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama |
| 2014 | Published her memoir, Stand up Straight and Sing. London: The Robson Press |
| 2019 September 30 | Died in New York City |
Jessye Norman was a philanthropist active in numerous charitable and educational organizations. She served on the Board of Directors at the Augusta Opera Association, City-Meals-on-Wheels in New York City, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Howard University, New York Botanical Gardens, New York Public Library, and Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. Norman also served on the Board of Trustees and as a National Spokesperson for the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation and the Partnership of the Homeless.