BEING PORGY

PORGYAND BESS TODAY

BEING PORGY THE TRUTHFOR BLACK ARTISTS

By Kenneth Overton

Opera Singer Once upon a time, I entered the world of classical music. People warned me to have a minimal relationship with or stay completely clear of Porgy and Bess. There were teachers, advisors, colleagues, and agents that said things like, “It will pigeonhole your career,” “You will ruin your voice,” and my personal favorite, “People will not take you seriously as an opera singer.” I know these people were well-meaning and wanted me to have the best possible chance at a fully versatile career worthy of my gifts as a young Black opera singer. To that end, being cast as Porgy can be both a blessing and a curse! There have been a handful of organizations that have hired me to do this role but never hired me back to do anything else. And there have been companies that have done the exact opposite and invited me many times for other parts. There are conductors and artistic administrators who know or should know that if you can sing this role, there are a whole host of other roles in the “standard repertoire” that you can sing.

Porgy’s role is not only vocally demanding, requiring lyrical, dramatic, and declamatory singing, but performances are also physically and emotionally taxing evenings. Sadly, many casting directors do not often think about this or act with the same sense of loyalty, fairness, or artistic vision when applying these qualities in casting other roles. As a result, artists who debut in Porgy and Bess feel taken advantage of, used, or devalued. Let’s face it, those who run opera houses know that Porgy and Bess sells tickets the world over, and for them, that seems to be the bottom line. That said, I look at this role as a “passing of the torch,” a rite of passage from one renowned black artist to another. To follow in the footsteps of George Gershwin’s Original Porgy, Todd Duncan and the likes of William Warfield, Simon Estes, Michael Smart, Donnie Ray Albert, Gordon Hawkins, Alvy Powell, Arthur Woodley, Kevin Short, Lester Lynch, Eric Owens, and Morris Robinson, gives me extraordinary joy and an immense sense of pride. This gem of a role has taken me worldwide to places like The United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Canada, and others. Because of these experiences, I have met and worked with many notable artists who have become like family. There is a saying among Opera-doers, “There is nothing like doing a Porgy!” Thus, I hold Porgy very close to my heart and consider it an honor to perform. At its core, this production is a story of a tight-knit community centered around a differently abled man who, against all the odds, decides to find a way to seek and desire unconditional love and do anything to protect it. Most importantly, each time I sing as Porgy, one of my goals is to bring a much-deserved dignity to the life of Samuel “The Goat Man” Smalls, the subject of DuBose Heyward’s novel.

As I approach my 110th staged performance of this iconic role, the occasion should culminate at Opera Carolina, a company that has supported me throughout my career, starting from my very beginnings as a member of the resident company over 20 years ago. I can happily say to my early advisors, agents, and teachers that, indeed, performing as Porgy has not ruined my voice or pigeonholed my career, and people take me seriously - my story continues.

There is a saying among Opera-doers, “There is nothing like doing a Porgy!”