1 February 2012
Camilla Williams, 92, Soprano and Pioneer for Racial Equality, has Died
CAMILLA WILLIAMS
Danville, VA, October 18, 1919 — Bloomington, IN, January 29, 2012
The first African-American woman to sing a principal role with a major American opera company, Williams was an elementary school teacher in her native Virginia before being given a scholarship to study voice in Philadelphia with Marion Szekely-Freschl. After winning the first-ever Marian Anderson Award in 1943 (and again in 1944), Williams was signed by Arthur Judson at Columbia Artists Management and appeared in recital and concert. On May 15, 1946, Williams made her New York City Opera debut as Cio-Cio-San in the company premiere of Madama Butterfly — an event that generated considerable publicity because of the soprano's race, and because the opera had been absent from the repertory of most U.S. companies since the declaration of war against Japan in 1941. Williams offered a performance that was praised for its sensitivity, charm and beauty and remained on the roster at NYCO through the Spring 1954, with most of her appearances there devoted to Butterfly. She also sang Mimì and Nedda for NYCO and was the company's first Aida (1948).
Although the majority of her engagements in the 1950s and '60s involved recitals and concerts, Williams continued to sing opera. She was Ilia in the Little Orchestra Society's New York premiere of Mozart's Idomeneo (1950), Bess in the first complete recording of Porgy and Bess (1951) and Cio-Cio-San at London's Sadler's Wells Opera and at the Wiener Staatsoper (both 1954).
A frequent cultural ambassador for the U.S., Williams visited Africa, Southeast Asia, the Far East, Israel and Ireland on behalf of her country. Always active in the cause of civil rights, Williams sang at the historic rally at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 at which Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech, and at the 1964 Nobel Prize ceremonies. After she retired from singing in 1971, Williams taught voice at Brooklyn College, Bronx College and Queens College. In 1977, she joined the faculty at Indiana University, where she remained until her retirement, in 1997. 
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