François Clemmons
| Francois Clemmons | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 23, 1945 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
François Scarborough Clemmons (born April 23, 1945).[1] is an African American singer, actor, playwright and university lecturer. He is perhaps best known for his appearances on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood throughout the 1970s.[2]
Early life and education
Clemmons was raised in Youngstown, Ohio. When it was discovered that he had an excellent singing voice, he began performing locally at church functions. His first songs were the spirituals of pre-Civil War America, passed down to him by his mother. He soon branched out across genres, singing with various community groups. For a while, he was the lead singer of a rock 'n' roll group called the Jokers.[3]
Clemmons received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College, and a Master of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. He also received an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts from Middlebury College.[4]
Metropolitan Opera
In 1968, Clemmons won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He went on to Cleveland, Ohio, where he won a position in the Metropolitan Opera Studio. He sang there professionally for seven seasons performing over 70 roles with various companies such as: The New York City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Opera Ebony, Opera South, Toledo Opera, and Washington Civic Opera.[3]
Clemmons sang with numerous orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Colorado State Orchestra, the Memphis Symphony, the Jackson Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony, the Florida State Symphony, the Springfield Symphony, the Youngstown Symphony, the Salina Orchestra, and the Hanover Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra.[3]
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
For 25 years, Clemmons performed the role of Officer Clemmons, a friendly neighborhood policeman, in the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" on the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the neighborhood itself, Clemmons ran a singing and dance studio located in the building diagonally across from Mr. Rogers' house. As Officer Clemmons, he became the first African-American to have a recurring role on a kids TV series.[2] Clemmons told the story of how he became "Officer Clemmons" on StoryCorps.[5]
The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble
In the late 1980s, Clemmons had an experience singing spirituals with a friend that left him profoundly moved. The experience led him away from operatic performance toward an earlier love: traditional spirituals:
I was enjoying the singing of these spirituals .... I was giving artistry in a way -- I was giving my art in a way that I had not felt it was so important as when I was singing Mozart -- or when I was singing Schubert -- or Donizetti or Bellini .... I began to ask Fred Rogers why there was no professional ensemble that sang spirituals comparable to a Haydn Society or a St. Cecelia Society or a Handel Society or Bach.[6]
When he was unable to find a society like the one he envisioned, Clemmons decided to create one:[2] The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, dedicated to "preserving, sustaining and commissioning new and traditional arrangements of American Negro Spirituals for future generations."[7]
Middlebury College
From 1997 until his retirement in 2013, Clemmons was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. He “played the role of professor, choirmaster, resident vocal soloist, advisor, confidant, and community cheerleader”.[4] He is also well known in the Middlebury community for his superb rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, which he sings at the Middlebury College men's basketball games.[8]
Writing and arranging
Clemmons actively writes across genres for a variety of age groups. Currently, he is writing his autobiography entitled DivaMan: My Life in Song, a children's story entitled ButterCup and the Majic Cane, and a volume of poetry entitled A Place Of My Own.[9] Some of his published works include a volume of spirituals named Songs for Today[10] and a stage musical called My Name Is Hayes based on the life of Roland Hayes. He also commissioned a choral work composed of spirituals entitled Changed My Name, arranged by Linda Twine, and published by Henshaw Music in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[11]
Personal life
Clemmons lives and works in Middlebury, Vermont, where he is the Emeritus Artist in Residence of Middlebury College.[4] He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.[12]
References
- ↑ "The Week in Birmingham History". AL. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood". NPR. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
- 1 2 3 "IMDbPro". imdb.com. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Middlebury". middlebury.edu. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ↑ "Walking The Beat In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Where A New Day Began Together". NPR. 11 March 2016.
- ↑ "Sweet Chariot: the story of the spirituals". spiritualsproject.org. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ "Biography". middlebury.edu. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ http://sites.middlebury.edu/karllindholm/files/2013/07/They-peek-Francois.pdf
- ↑ "Personal Webpage". Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ↑ Opacc Software AG. "Songs for today, Francois Clemmons by Musik Hug". musikhug.ch. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ "Search Results". hinshawmusic.com. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ https://www.sinfonia.org/fraternity-leadership/national-directory/
External links
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