From Vittoria Tesi to Beyoncé, a lecture-recital on Black Divas

What does Beyoncé have in common with Vittoria Tesi, the black opera diva of eighteenth-century Italy? Find this out in a lecture recital in celebration of Black History Month, in which researcher Emmanuela Wroth and singer Carol Leeming breathe life back into Vittoria Tesi, accompanied by Nigel Yandell on keyboard.

Forgotten today, Tesi was one of the most celebrated divas of the eighteenth century. She was known for her unusually broad vocal range that allowed her to take on male and female roles, through which she played with notions of gender and race on the stage.

This lecture recital interweaves Tesi’s story, and those of other black divas across the centuries, with a performance of the aria “Pur ch’io possa a te” from the 1725 opera ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ by Johann Adolf Hasse. This aria was written especially for Tesi, who played the cross-dressing role of Antony alongside the well-known castrato singer Farinelli, who played Cleopatra. Carol Leeming will also perform her poem “Praise Song for Black Divas”, followed by a conversation and Q&A with the speaker, performers and audience.