'There was no room to be discouraged': Audrey DuBois Harris on being a Black opera singer in Canada

In August of 2018, the month of Aretha Franklin's funeral, an opera singer from Montreal named Audrey DuBois Harris took the podium to perform Great Is Thy Faithfulness in tribute to the late Queen of Soul. 

The critically acclaimed classical artist, who was known as Franklin's favourite soprano, has performed on some of the world's greatest stages, for former U.S. president Barack Obama and during the MLK50 events, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. 

But being a Black opera singer in Canada has been, at times, a lonely journey.

Tomorrow, DuBois Harris is participating in Black Opera Live: Canada, an online broadcast that explores the experiences of Black artists who work in the classical arts in this country.

She joined q's Tom Power on the line from Montreal to reflect on her friendship with Franklin, her musical influences and the importance of representation.

Here is part of that conversation.

So what's the story on you and Aretha? How did you guys become friends? How did you meet? 

It's such a crazy story because I'm just out here doing my thing and Aretha tells me that she was at home in Detroit one day and she had the television on. There was a program that came on and I was singing on the screen. She said when she heard my voice she came into the room and stared at the screen and was like, "And who is that?" 

Now, that story is funny in itself, but she tracked me down, found my information and we really just hit it off from the very beginning. We had a lot in common. She's like, "I just love your singing. I love how you sing with soul and with passion. And I love your gift." And from there, it just really blossomed.

Can you tell me about the time she introduced you to Robert De Niro? 

She introduced me to Robert De Niro — his wife was there as well — and so he was just so excited because she was like, "You need to hear her. She's this classical singer. Think of Leontyne Price. Just know that she's awesome."

So Robert said, "Are you family?" He posed the question to me and she just quickly interjected and she said, "Yes, we are family."

I had to take that and run with that. So that's a really cool moment.

When did you start singing? How old were you when you realized you had that gift?

As far as I can remember, I've always been singing. I wasn't like one of those people that had this huge voice as a child, but music was always with me. 

I grew up in the Baptist church and I would sing my prayers to feel closer to God. It wouldn't be loud, it would just be to myself. And so I've always been connected to music. 

I didn't start off as a singer, I used to play the flute. And I thought that was going to be my thing. 

So I was home one day, I'm a child playing with my dolls, and I'm singing to myself, and my mother overheard me as she was standing at the doorway. I didn't know she was there and when I turned around her jaw hit the floor. And she was like, "Oh my God. I didn't know you could sing like that!" And it took off from there.

So you were raised on religious music, but I understand you wanted to be a pop singer. Specifically, Mariah Carey.

My mom said, "I'm going to find a teacher for you." So immediately when she said this, I was like, "Oh, yes, I'm going to be like Mariah Carey!" 

In particular, it was that song, Without You. Mariah — just the way she sings it, the way she kills it. I remember as a little girl I used to listen to it on repeat. 

I started studying and my teacher at the time just kept giving me these classical pieces. And so during one lesson I said, "You know, you keep giving me these classical pieces to learn. When are you going to give me the pop songs?"

On that day, she burst my bubble because she said, "My dear, you don't have a pop voice, you have a classical voice."

It has worked out for me, I will say that, but at the time that was devastating news.

There are some incredible Black women performing at the highest levels of opera and you did mention one a little bit earlier in your story about Robert De Niro. When did you first hear Leontyne Price? 

I was in high school and I had the great privilege to study with such an awesome teacher. Her name is Birgit Fioravante. 

It was my first year at the school and first year students were not supposed to have private lessons. We were just supposed to take our choir classes, and our theory classes, and other music classes that we were supposed to take at the School of the Arts in Miami.

So Birgit would pull me out of choir and she would give me lessons. This one afternoon, she took me to the listening library. She sat right next to me and she gave me my headphones, and right before I put them on she said, "There is a lady that you remind me of. She's great and I believe that you will one day be as great."

And so she played Leontyne Price performing Chi il bel sogno from La Rondine by Giacomo Puccini. So that was actually one of my signature pieces that I used to always sing.

What did it mean to you to see Leontyne Price, another Black woman and another soprano, on big stages all over the world? 

Representation matters. I really believe that. It's vital to have people of all hues represented, people of all cultures represented. No matter what field, you have to know that whatever your goal is, whatever your drive is, that it's attainable.

One thing that I respect and admire so much about Leontyne is the fact that she didn't have much representation. Of course, there was the great Marian Anderson at the time. Much respect to these ladies because they did it at a level of excellence during a time when not only were we not represented, but we were considered very much less than. And so they set the standard. They set the bar. 

It's critical to have someone that looks like you to say, "Oh, I can do that." But I always believed that greatness was achievable. It was something deep within.

Tell me more about that. Did you feel that singing opera was what you were born to do?

There was no room to be discouraged. I knew that this was what I was born to do. I knew that music, and singing in particular, was my gift. And so I couldn't let the fact that I didn't see others that looked like me stop me.

Actually, that was more of a push to say, "OK, well then if I have to be that person, if I have to be the one that other generations and other young singers will look at, so be it."

Tell me a little about Black Opera Live. What's this all about? 

It's a conversation series with baritone Kenneth Overton. He's also the associate producer of Black Opera, the film. This special episode is related to being a Black artist in the arts, and in particular, in Canada. It's dealing with three international opera singers and classical singers. And so it'll be really fun to talk about our journeys, and to talk about our roles as mothers, and also being women of colour in the arts. 

What do you think needs to change to help you and other Black performers in opera?

Well, I think just going back to my beginning and wanting to see more people of colour. And as I was saying before, just people of all hues need to be hired, and on the stage, and promoted the same. I think the world of the classical arts needs to represent the world at large. We live in a very diverse world and that needs to be reflected on the stage.

Watch the 90-minute special Black Opera Live: Canada on Friday, Aug. 28 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Facebook and YouTube.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To hear the full conversation with Audrey DuBois Harris, click the 'Listen' link near the top of this page.

Edited by Vivian Rashotte. Interview produced by Vanessa Greco.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.