What is Leontyne Price?
{{Infobox person | name = Leontyne Price | image = Leontyne Price (color) by Jack Mitchell.jpg | caption = A 1981 portrait of Price by [[Jack Mitchell]] | birth_name = Mary Violet Leontyne Price | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1927|02|10}} | birth_place = [[Laurel, Mississippi]], U.S. | education = Central State University <br/> (BA) <br/> Julliard School | occupation = Operatic spinto soprano | years_active = 1952-1997 | organization = Metropolitan Opera | known_for = Operas of Verdi <br/> particulary Aida | spouse = William Warfield }} '''Mary Violet Leontyne Price''' (born February 10, 1927) is an [[Americans|American]] [[soprano]]. She is particularly associated with [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]] roles, notably in the operas ''[[Il trovatore]]'' and ''[[Aida]]''. She was one of the first black singers to enjoy an international career in opera. ==Life and career== Price was born in Laurel, [[Mississippi]]. She studied at Central State College, Wilberforce, [[Ohio]], and with Florence Kimball at the [[Juilliard School of Music]] in [[New York City]]. She began her professional career in 1952, when she appeared as Bess in [[George Gershwin]]'s ''Porgy and Bess'' on [[Broadway]], followed by an international tour. She made her recital debut in New York City in 1954, and appeared in a television production of ''[[Tosca]]'' for [[NBC]] in 1955. Her actual [[opera]]tic debut took place in [[San Francisco]] in 1957, as Mme Lidoine in [[Francis Poulenc|Poulenc]]'s ''Le dialogue des carmélites'', followed by her first ''Aida''. The role of Aida would quickly become her signature role and the vehicle for her [[debut]]s in 1958 at the [[Vienna]] State Opera, the [[Royal Opera House]] in [[London]] and at [[La Scala]] in [[Milan]] both in 1960. She also appeared at the [[Salzburg]] Festival as Donna Elvira in ''[[Don Giovanni]]'' and Leonora in ''Il trovatore''. She made her debut at the Lyric [[Chicago]] Ope