06/24/2026
🎶“Summertime and the livin’ is easy…”🎶
On June 24, 1959, the original film adaptation of Porgy and Bess premiered theaters, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge as the titular characters, Porgy and Bess. But did you know it was not Dorothy Dandridge who sang the role of Bess, but rather, African American operatic lyric soprano, Adele Addison!
Born in 1925, Adele Addison moved to New York in 1952 to continue her voice studies at the Julliard School. Addison then made her operatic debut with the New York City Opera in 1955 as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème. From then on, her career continued to flourish as she appeared in roles such as Gilda in Rigoletto, Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte, and many others at opera houses around the world. Beyond the opera stage, she was also a featured soloist for renowned composers such as Aaron Copeland, Francis Poulenc, and Leonard Bernstein. Later in her career, she dedicated herself to music education, where she served as a voice teacher at SUNY at Stony Brook, Eastman School of Music, and as the Chair of Voice Department at the Manhattan School of Music.
We are delighted to share that Mrs. Addison-Berger, who will celebrate her 101st birthday next month, donated her collection to the AAAMC in 2025. The collection is now open for research and viewing! You can explore the finding aid here: https://archives.iu.edu/catalog/VAE8111
For questions about accessing the collection, please contact us at [email protected].
