Harry Lawrence Freeman
October 9, 1869 – March 24, 1954
Harry Lawrence Freeman was a pioneering composer, librettist, conductor, mentor and teacher. He was the first African-American to write an opera that was successfully produced. Known as “The Colored Wagner,”Freeman composed over 21 operas. Freeman founded the Freeman School of Music and the Freeman School of Grand Opera. His best-known work the famed “Voodoo” opera, was revived by the Morningside Opera, Harlem Chamber Players at Miller Theater, Columbia University, June 26 and 27, 2015.
Together with his wife, actress and singer Charlotte (Carlotta) Louise Thomas, the Freemans founded the Friends’ Amusement Guild and the Negro Grand Opera Company, and the Freeman School of Music. The Freeman’s brownstone also served as a gathering place during the Harlem Renaissance for such notables as Marion Anderson and Lena Horne. In the late 1940s, Freeman sought to found yet another organization that would promote black composers and singers, the Aframerican Opera Foundation, but his efforts were cut short by his death on March 24, 1954, at age 85.
“Solitude is essentially the discovery and acceptance of our uniqueness.”
— Harry Lawrence Freeman
Continuing his legacy
Our Mission
Our mission is to inspire, educate, ensure equity, and awareness. We achieve this through supporting other artists, providing funding resources and launching our after-school supplemental education program, called the Harry Lawrence Freeman Academy for the Arts. Simply put, the Harry Lawrence Freeman Foundation requires that the history of grand opera in the United States be rewritten to include the work of Freeman, and the artistic performance and social history of diverse people.
By putting an end to systemic racism in the arts requires foundations like ours to step up like never before. We must be the conduit to tackling such critical issues that still exist in Opera as well as other areas in the arts. With your support we can achieve our mission to continue to bring light to greatness and end systemic racism in the arts.
Recent Performances
“Voodoo”
Revived by the Morningside Opera, Harlem Chamber Players at Miller Theater, Columbia University, June 26 and 27, 2015
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