Remembering Jessye Norman

Iconic opera singer, activist, and a beloved member of the Library family, Jessye Norman passed away on September 30, 2019, at age 74.

She won multiple awards over her illustrious career, including the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Medal of the Arts. Jessye joined the Library’s Board of Trustees in 1997. In 2018, she was recognized for her achievements and named a  New York Public Library Lion.

When commenting on her excitement at being named a Library Lion, Norman shared: 

"One of my many lasting memories of growing up in Augusta, Georgia is of the story-telling by the librarian at the Wallace Branch Library. This early acquaintance with books and the wondrous stimulation of the imagination made me a life-long lover of libraries. Books take us on a journey and we come back refreshed, renewed, awakened and ready for more. Long live libraries, these cathedrals of exploration. I am thrilled to become a Library Lion!"

A champion of the arts, Norman also said "Kids should be encouraged from the inside out, and that is best done through the arts."

Norman's memoir Stand Up Straight and Sing!  describes her childhood in the segregated South, the community values and role models that shaped her ambitions, her meteoric rise at the Berlin Opera and the accomplishments that have established her as one of America's most decorated singing artists.