2024 Women songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees

Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s, she became a member of the R&B trio Vertical Hold. Stone would later release her solo debut Black Diamond (1999) on Arista Records, which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and spawned the single "No More Rain (In This Cloud)".

After transitioning to J Records, she released her second album, Mahogany Soul (2001), which included the hit single "Wish I Didn't Miss You"; followed by the albums Stone Love (2004) and The Art of Love & War (2007), her first number-one album on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Stone ventured into acting in the 2000s, making her film debut in the 2002 comedy film The Hot Chick, and her stage debut in 2003, in the role of Big Mama Morton in the Broadway musical Chicago. She has since appeared in supporting roles in films and television series as well as several musical productions, including VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club and TV One's R&B Divas, and movies such as The Fighting Temptations (2003), Pastor Brown (2009) and School Gyrls (2010). 

Stone has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, and has won two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. In 2021, she received the Soul Music Icon Award at the Black Music Honors.

In the late 1970s, when Stone was 16, she formed the rap trio The Sequence, a female hip-hop act, also consisting of Cheryl "The Pearl" Cook and Gwendolyn "Blondie" Chisolm. They were the second rap group signed to the Sugar Hill Records after auditioning for manager Sylvia Robinson backstage at a Sugar Hill Gang concert in South Carolina. In 1980, The Sequence scored a hit with their single "Funk You Up", which reached number 15 on the US Top Black Singles chart. The trio enjoyed a series of rap hits as the first female rap group during the early years of hip hop. Singles such as "Monster Jam" featuring rapper Spoonie Gee and "Funky Sound (Tear The Roof Off)" kept the band touring, with Robinson acting as their mentor. The group faded into obscurity as hip hop changed from its original party sound to a more gritty street art form and the trio eventually disbanded in 1985.

Stone then worked with hip hop and electro funk music group Mantronix, before becoming the lead vocalist of the trio Vertical Hold which released the popular single "Seems You're Much Too Busy" as well as two albums: A Matter of Time (1993) and Head First (1995). In 1996, Stone teamed up with Gerry DeVeaux, singer Lenny Kravitz's cousin, and Charlie Mole to form the group Devox. They recorded one album, Devox featuring Angie B. Stone, released in Japan by Toshiba EMI. Selected cuts were featured on Gerry DeV

Soon Hee Newbold is an internationally acclaimed composer known for her captivating compositions which blend classical and modern elements. Her innovative approach and diverse influences make her a highly sought-after contributor to the evolving landscape of orchestral repertoire and music education. Newbold's works are performed by groups ranging from professional symphonies to beginning elementary ensembles. She has a distinctive style that resonates with listeners and is one of the most programmed and popular string orchestra composers in the world. 

In 2014, Newbold was highlighted among notable alumni in James Madison University’s “Be The Change” campaign and for years was featured in the lobby of the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts. In 2019, the Boston Music Project expanded their number of orchestras, traditionally named for iconic and celebrated composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Boulanger, and chose Newbold as the name for their newest ensemble. Newbold’s compositions are frequently found in the top selling and editor’s choice lists of publishers and music retailers including JW Pepper, Alfred Music, and the FJH Music Company and her name has been featured in numerous articles and trade journals throughout her career. 

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Newbold was adopted as an infant and spent her childhood with two sisters in Frederick, Maryland.  She began studying piano at age five and violin at age seven competing and performing at a professional level spanning decades. As a concert soloist and in orchestras, Newbold appeared in prominent venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Disney World, Aspen, and Tanglewood and in the countries of England, Scotland, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.

Newbold worked in entertainment for Walt Disney World as a professional musician and was a member of the Orlando Philharmonic, Bach Festival Orchestra and other symphonies in Florida.  She also produced albums and wrote and arranged songs for recording projects. Newbold’s mother was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease, a terminal illness with no cure and little treatment and passed away in 2010. The song “Endless Dreams,” was written by Newbold and dedicated to those affected by this devastating disorder .

In 2000, Newbold moved to Southern California where she currently resides. She has worked extensively in the film industry as a producer, director, and actor and expanded her music into cinema and media which includes the film score for the western feature, "Ghost Rock," starring Gary Busy and Jeff Fahey. 

Newbold has traveled throughout the U.S. as a guest composer, conductor, and keynote speaker and was invited to work with and conduct orchestras in South Korea, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, China, Indonesia, and Singapore. World premieres and performances of her pieces have been played on renowned stages like Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Lincoln Center, Disney Hall, Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.

During the 2020 pandemic, Newbold wrote, “Invicta,” a solo violin and orchestra work commissioned by the Brevard Symphony Orchestra. Newbold wanted to capture the indomitable attitude and resilience of the human spirit unbroken even during global adversity.

In 2023, Newbold was commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to write a piece for their Merian Ensemble, a quintet featuring five incredible female symphony members. “Alis Volat Propiis” was written and inspired by that phrase which means “she flies with her own wings, “ a reminder that in a world where we often look to others for the solution to make things “right” we all have our own wings and a voice to make an impact too.

Aside from her music and entertainment career, Newbold is a martial artist and has trained in several disciplines. She has black belts in Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Kumdo (swords). A storyteller with an empathetic understanding of performers and the audience, Newbold continues to be a trailblazer and prominent figure in the music industry. Her work is published through Alfred’s MakeMusic Publications and the FJH Music Company.   

Alta Sherral "Allee" Willis (November 10, 1947 – December 24, 2019) was an American songwriter, multi-media artist, collector, and art director. Willis co-wrote hit songs including "September" and "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire. She also co-wrote the song "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", a number 2 hit in both the UK (in 1987) and U.S. (in 1988) for Pet Shop Boys featuring Dusty Springfield. She won two Grammy Awards for Beverly Hills Cop and The Color Purple, the latter of which was also nominated for a Tony Award, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for "I'll Be There for You", which was used as the theme song for the sitcom Friends. Her compositions sold over 60 million records worldwide.  Allee Willis will be inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame for 2024.

The late Allee Willis‘ one album — 1974’s Childstar — was a commercial dud, but its nine songs did hint at a songwriting prowess that came to fruition when she moved to Los Angeles shortly thereafter. Willis went on to work on a Songwriters Hall of Fame repertoire of hits for Earth, Wind & Fire, the Pet Shop Boys and The Pointer Sisters, as well as collaborating on the award-winning score for The Color Purple: A New Musical and writing theme songs for Friends and The Karate Kid. 

Willis also staked a reputation as an art and kitsch collector, avant garde furniture maker and party-thrower, but after her death on Dec. 24 at the age of 72, she’s being remembered primarily for her songwriting, and especially for the key songs in her career, including these 10.

Willis was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where she attended Mumford High School. Her parents were Jewish. Her father, Nathan, was a scrapyard dealer. Her mother, Rose, an elementary school teacher, died suddenly while Willis was a teenager. Willis had a sister, Marlen Frost, and a brother, Kent Willis.

Willis's love of black music and culture developed early. As a teenager, Willis said she liked to hang out outside Motown Records to listen to the music coming through the walls. Although she loved her father, race was an issue that sometimes came between them. When she left for college, he wrote, "Stay away from Black culture." Her last words to him were, "I just got the gig to write The Color Purple."

She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a journalism major. She said she was a sorority member and later became an activist, "marching and demonstrating" during the 60s.[4] After college, she moved to New York City in 1969 and worked as a secretary at Columbia Records as a copywriter, writing liner notes and advertising material,[1] before turning to songwriting and performing.

Her only album, Childstar, in 1974, did not sell well, and she stopped performing because she did not enjoy it. However, the album attracted the interest of Bonnie Raitt, who became the first musician to record one of her songs. After moving to Los Angeles, she worked as a songwriter at A&M Records from 1977, and also wrote songs with, and for, Patti LaBelle and Herbie Hancock.

She worked at a comedy club and hung posters for four years. A mutual friend introduced her to Verdine White, and in turn to Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire. In the late 1970s she worked with Maurice White on the lyrics for her first big hit, "September", among other songs, and then co-wrote "Boogie Wonderland" with Jon Lind and "In the Stone" with Maurice White and David Foster.

Willis also wrote songs for artists including Debby Boone, Rita Coolidge, Crystal Gayle, Sister Sledge, Jennifer Holliday, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Cyndi Lauper, Crystal Waters, and Taylor Dayne. Songs she co-composed for other artists that became hits include "Lead Me On" by Maxine Nightingale, "Neutron Dance" by the Pointer Sisters, "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys featuring Dusty Springfield, and "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts. "I'll Be There for You" was used as the theme song of the sitcom Friends and went on to become one of the biggest television theme songs yet. Willis jokingly referred to this song as "the whitest song I ever wrote". In 1995 Willis was Emmy-nominated for "I'll Be There for You".

In the 1980s, after starting to paint and make motorized sculptures, she became an art director for music videos, and worked on videos for such musicians as Debbie Harry and The Cars. In 1997, she addressed a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee, to make the case for the property rights of BMI songwriters. She gave a keynote address at the first Digital World conference in 1992 and lectured on interactive journalism and on self-expression in cyberspace. She also co-wrote the Tony-nominated and Grammy-winning Broadway musical The Color Purple, first performed in 2005. As of 2018, a major motion picture based on the musical was in the early stages of development, being produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, and Scott Sanders.

Willis continued to work as an art director and set designer, and in 2008 won awards for her work with musician Holly Palmer on the music video artwork Allee Willis Presents Bubbles & Cheesecake. As an artist, she created paintings, ceramics and sculptures, and from 2009 she curated the Allee Willis Museum of Kitsch website. She launched a series of fundraising events in Detroit in 2010, with marching bands, in support of the city.

In 2015, Willis appeared as a kitsch expert on episodes of the A&E reality television show Storage Wars assisting Mary Padian.

On September 28, 2017, Willis premiered "The D", a passion project she wrote, recorded, and produced for her hometown of Detroit, at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

She was the only woman in the year 2018 to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her compositions are reported to have sold over 60 million records.

Before her death in 2019, she made an appearance on the game show To Tell the Truth. The episode aired on June 18, 2020.

A native of central Florida, Martha Munizzi was born into a Christian musical family. The daughter of evangelists, Martha and her twin sister Mary Alessi were born in Lakeland, Florida, and grew up traveling and ministering through music with her family. She began performing at age 8, touring the country with her family in concerts and crusades around the United States and Canada.

Martha, Mary, and their older sister Marvelyne were born with their parents' talent for music and became a part of the traveling family group as kids. The family settled in Orlando, Florida, when Mary and Martha were 12, so that the children could attend formal, public school.

At age 16, Mary, Martha and Marveline (age 18) helped form a praise and worship band at the urging of a church friend. That group evolved into Testament and became popular enough to travel around the state of Florida performing in churches and at conferences and other events.

One year after completing high school (1986), Martha married Dan Munizzi, who was a keyboard and bass player in the band Testament.[1] In 1993 she and Dan became the music directors and founding members of a new, fledgling church in Orlando, Florida, initially leading a congregation of 250 and a choir of about 30 people that eventually grew in 8 years into a 5000-member congregation and a 200-member music team. They remained there until 2001.  Martha also led worship at Lakewood Church.

 Along with figures like Ron Kenoly, CeCe Winans, and Israel Houghton, Munizzi is pioneering cross-cultural worship music that not only connects with both black and white Christian congregations but also reaches the masses.[4]

Munizzi's songs are self-published under the name Say The Name Publishing/Martha Munizzi Music. She released her first Praise & Worship/Gospel album, Say the Name (2002), followed by The Best Is Yet to Come (2003) and When He Came (2004), both of which debuted high on Billboard's Gospel chart. The Best Is Yet to Come peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Music Top Gospel Album charts in 2004 and remained on the charts for more than a year.

In 2004, Munizzi had two music albums in the top five on Billboard's Gospel charts at the same time (The Best Is Yet to Come at No. 2 and When He Came at No. 5) and Billboard Magazine named her as one of the top five Gospel Artists for 2004. Additionally, her project The Best Is Yet to Come was named one of the top ten selling Gospel projects for 2004.

In 2005, she signed a distribution deal with Integrity Media, Inc. Under this agreement, her previously released albums The Best Is Yet To Come and Say The Name and all future releases were to be distributed to Christian retail outlets through Provident-Integrity Distribution and to general market outlets on the Epic Records (a division of Sony-BMG Distribution).[5]

In 2006, Munizzi released her next CD entitled No Limits Live. This CD debuted on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts at No. 1 and remained at the top of the charts for 6 weeks.

Munizzi has ministered with several popular Christian ministries including; Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, CeCe Winans, and Bishop T.D. Jakes. She has also appeared on Trinity Broadcasting Network's (TBN's) Praise The Lord, on the Daystar Television Network, on Life Today with James Robison, and on Black Entertainment Television's BET Celebration Of Gospel. Additionally she performed as a part of the 3rd annual "Sisters In The Spirit" tour with Yolanda Adams, Kelly Price, Juanita Bynum, Rizen and Sheila E in 2005. She was also a featured performer with Kirk Franklin at the "Imagine Me" all-star celebrity benefit concert on January 11, 2007, at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.[6] The concert was a benefit for the Children's Defense Fund.

Munizzi also performed with the Gospel trio Virtue on their 2006 album Testimony on the song Praises to You. She also performs her song Glorious live on Donna Richardson-Joyner's 2006 exercise video entitled Sweating in the Spirit 2. Her twin sister, Mary Alessi, performs with her on her 2006 album No Limits Live.

The CD/DVD project, Change the World was released on April 1, 2008. The project was recorded on December 7, 2007, and features Israel Houghton, Mary Alessi, Micah Stampley, Bishop Joseph Garlington, and Ricardo Sanchez.[7]

On April 24, 2011, Munizzi released Make it Loud her first self-produced CD. The new project features William McDowell, Michael Gungor, Jonathan Stockstill, Lori Morrison, Daniel Eric Groves, and the debut of Danielle Munizzi, her daughter.[8]

On August 27, 2021, Munizzi released Best Days, with a new single "Fight for Me".

Crystal Waters (born November 19,1961) is an American house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and 2007's "Destination Calabria" with Alex Gaudino. All three of her studio albums produced a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as one of the most successful dance artists of all time. Her accolades include six ASCAP Songwriter awards, three American Music Award nominations, an MTV Video Music Award nod, four Billboard Music Awards and twelve No. 1 Billboard Dance Chart hits. Her hit song "Gypsy Woman” has been sampled hundreds of times. Though her music sales have yet to be re-certified, Waters has sold over 7 million records worldwide.

Born in Deptford Township, New Jersey, Waters is the daughter of jazz musician Junior Waters[4] and his wife Betty. Her great-aunt, Ethel Waters, was one of the first black American vocalists to appear in mainstream Hollywood musicals. Her family moved to New Jersey for a while but they again moved to Washington, D.C. At age eleven she began writing poetry and took her writing seriously enough to be inducted into the Poetry Society of America when she was 14, the youngest person ever to receive that honor.

She studied business and computer science at Howard University, but her creative work as a musician dropped off as she found less time for it. After earning her college degree in 1989, Waters secured a job as a probation officer with the Washington, D.C. parole board, making a living that would support her two daughters. One of her daughters, Ella Nicole, is a singer-songwriter who was discovered in 2014 and managed by Samonee K. founder of Argo Vibes.

Waters' first job in the music world was as a backup singer at a local recording studio. She realized she wanted the creative control of writing her own music. Meeting the Basement Boys at a D.C. conference, they agreed to collaborate. Waters' self-described style was jazz and the Basement Boys was house. The first two songs she wrote for the 'Boys were "Makin' Happy" and "Gypsy Woman".

Waters signed a writing contract with Mercury Records in 1989.

Her single "Makin' Happy", with contributions by remixer Steve "Silk" Hurley, shot quickly to No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.

With her 1994 follow-up album, Storyteller, Waters made a mainstream comeback with her hit single "100% Pure Love", which hit number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs, and became one of the longest-charting singles on the Hot 100 at 45 weeks ("Gypsy Woman" had remained on the chart for 16 weeks). Along with the single, her second album Storyteller, sold over one million copies in the United States. Feminist scholar and social activist bell hooks described Waters as "fierce and politically on the job" because of the singer's socially conscious lyrics.

Waters performing in 2013.

In 1996, Waters participated in the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio, which was produced by the Red Hot Organization, performing the song "The Boy from Ipanema".

In 2007, the mega European hit "Destination Calabria" by Alex Gaudino, featuring vocals by Crystal Waters, went to No. 1 on the European Pop Chart in over 30 countries. The track is a mashup, taking the instrumental from Rune's "Calabria" and the vocals from Alex Gaudino's and Crystal Waters' "Destination Unknown", both originally released in 2003. It was produced with the help of Maurizio Nari and Ronnie Milani (Nari & Milani), matching the saxophone hook/riff from "Calabria" to Crystal Waters' voice. "Destination Calabria" was released as a 12-inch single by the Italian label Rise Records, and as a CD single on March 19, 2007 by British label Data Records. It originally charted in Australia in February 2004, peaking at No. 98 under the title "Destination Unknown" before being re-released as "Destination Calabria" and reaching No. 2 in 2007.

In 2012, "Le Bump" with Yolanda Be Cool gave Waters another No. 1 on the Beatport House Chart.

With DJ Chris Cox in 2013, the No. 1 Billboard Dance Club Songs hit "Mama Hey", was listed as one of Billboard's "Top 50 Dance Songs of 2013".

In November 2015, Waters released "Synergy", and in October 2016 she released "Believe". Both songs quickly rose to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.

Her 2017 single "Testify" with Hifi Sean was released on Defected Records and went straight to the A-List on BBC Radio and garnered another No. 1 spot on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.

Her third collaboration with Sted-E & Hybrid Heights, titled "I Am House", reached No. 1 in the club charts in Spring 2018, giving Waters a total of twelve No. 1 singles in the US Billboard Dance Club Songs.

In February 2020, she began a monthly radio/podcast show called "I Am House".

La Forrest 'La La' Cope is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for writing the hit song "You Give Good Love", recorded by Whitney Houston for her 1985 self-titled debut album, which went on to sell over 25 million units worldwide.

La La was raised in the East Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, New York City, United States. She took up the piano at the age of five and gave a piano recital at Carnegie Hall at the age of nine. After leaving New York's High School of Music and Art, she formed a band called Jack Sass, which played top 40 cover versions on the club scene.  As the group's reputation grew, La La began introducing more of her own songs into the repertoire before she went to Juilliard to major in composition.

In 1981, she was invited to tour with Stacy Lattisaw who opened for the Jacksons on a national tour. Following this, she sang with the group Change, along with Luther Vandross, where her voice was heard on their song "The Glow of Love", co-written by her childhood friend from East Elmhurst, Queens, Wayne K. Garfield. She played one of her songs, "Stone Love", to another neighborhood friend, Kashif, who recorded it for his debut album in 1983.

Throughout the 1980s, La La established herself as a songwriter, penning songs for many artists including Lillo Thomas ("All of You"), Melba Moore ("Living for Your Love" and "It's Really Love"), Glenn Jones ("Show Me" and "Stay"), Giorge Pettus ("My Night for Love") and a solo release, "Into the Night" which was featured on the Beat Street soundtrack album.

Through Kashif, she had a couple of her songs recorded by new Arista signing Whitney Houston ("You Give Good Love" and "Thinking About You") before signing to the label herself (both Kashif and Houston's label) as an artist. In 1987, she released her debut album La La, including duets with Glenn Jones and Bernard Wright and production by R&B group Full Force. She also duetted with Jermaine Jackson on a cover of Climie Fisher's "Rise to the Occasion" for his 1989 album Don't Take It Personal.

La La continued to write and produce for major artists including Carl Anderson and the top 10 US R&B hit "Secret Lady" for Stephanie Mills. After a move to Motown Records, she released her second (and last to date) solo album La La Means I Love You! in 1991, which included her version of her much-covered R&B classic "Show Me" as well as contributions from Rene Moore, Marcus Miller and Lenny White.

Landmarks of a Life and a Career

More than forty-six years after her untimely passing, Maria Callas indisputably remains the most exciting figure on the operatic stage, not only of her own generation but of a whole century. Her inimitable art represents, in a most profound and refined way, the full expressive range of transcendental virtuosity as encapsulated in the glorious form of Opera.

As time goes by, her artistic impact, instead of waning, seems to consolidate an iconic and global status of reference for new generations of artists and music lovers alike, who never had the chance to savor her greatness on stage.

BIO

1923, December 2.

Anna Maria Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulou was born in New York, where her parents, George Kalogeropoulos (Calas) and Evangelia (Litza) Dimitriadou, had emigrated.

1931-1937.

In New York she started taking music lessons and she participated in children's competitions and performances.

1937-1938.

After her parents’ divorce, she returned to Athens accompanied by her mother and sister Jackie. She attended singing classes at the National Conservatory in Maria Trivella’s class.

1939, April 2

Her stage debut was in a student performance, as Santuzza, in Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. At roughly the same time she enrolled at the Athens Conservatory (1939-1943) under the tutelage of the famous Spanish coloratura soprano Elvira de Hidalgo.

1940-1945

During the exams of the Athens Conservatory she performed the eponymous role in Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica). With de Hidalgo’s support she was hired by the Greek National Opera, which, at the time, was a division of the Royal Theatre. She served there until 1945 performing roles in Franz von Suppé's Boccaccio, Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, Eugen D' Albert's Tiefland, Ludwig van Beethoven's Fidelio, and Manolis Kalomiris' The Master Builder.

1945 - 1947

Homecoming to New York, where her father lives permanently. Her negotiations concerning an eventual debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera fail. A further plan for a Chicago revival of Puccini's Turandot with her impersonating the eponymous princess proves also abortive.

1947

On August 3, follows her impressive Italian debut at the Roman Arena of Verona as Amilcare Ponchielli's La Gioconda, under the baton of Tullio Serafin, who was to become instrumental as her artistic mentor. Among her other roles at the time, she excelled as Isolde in Richard Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde in Venice and Florence, while she took on Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma for the first time, a role which she was to perform most frequently throughout her entire career.

1949.

Wedding to the Italian industrialist and impresario Giovanni Battista Meneghini (April 21st). In May and June, she appears at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires with Bellini's Norma and Puccini's Turandot. She records her first and only 3 gramophone records (78 rpm) for the state run Italian firm CETRA, with which she was to remain under contract until 1953.

1950

Inauguration of her appearances in Mexico City, for 3 consecutive seasons, until 1952, in roles such as Bellini's Norma and I Puritani, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Puccini's Tosca, and Verdi’s La Traviata, Aida, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore. In Rome, she demonstrates her comic talent in Gioacchino Rossini's Il Turco in Italia.

1951

Callas inaugurated (December 7) the 1951/52 artistic season at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, with Giuseppe Verdi's I Vespri Siciliani, conducted by Erich Kleiber, which proved to be a tour de force for her. Up until 1958, La Scala will remain the main stage of her greatest triumphs.

1952.

She triumphs in Armida, one of Rossini’s most demanding operas, thus contributing to the reinstatement of his hitherto neglected serious operas.

1953.

Her first recordings for EMI, with which she is going to record almost the totality of her albums.

1954.

She undergoes a radical diet and acquires the appearance that establishes her as one of the most elegant lyrical performers of her time.

1955.

She stars in by now legendary productions of Bellini's La Sonnambula and Verdi's La Traviata, both directed by Lucchino Visconti.

1956, October 27.

Her New York Metropolitan Opera debut as Norma. Follows her unique collaboration with Greek conductor and composer Dimitris Mitropoulos in Met performances of Tosca. Her only Met broadcast as Lucia di Lammermoor opposite Greek bass Nicola Moscona, one of Toscanini’s favourite artists.

1957

She returns to Athens and appears at the Herodes Atticus Odeon during the Athens Festival (August 5th)

1958

Following her Rome Walkout (January 2) due to a sudden loss of voice after the first act of a gala performance of Bellini’s Norma, with the Italian President in the audience, she is targeted by press and public alike. Subsequent end of her contracts with both La Scala, Milan and the New York Met, in favour of a co-operation with the Dallas Civic Opera. Her last performances in La Traviata. Press attacks and problems with her voice shake irreversibly her soul and her career.

1959

She leaves Meneghini to live with Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis. In order to obtain a divorce, Callas acquires Greek citizenship. She gives birth to Onassis’ child, who, unfortunately, lives only for a few hours. Onassis himself, incidentally, instead of marrying Callas, will eventually be wedded to the widow of the assassinated American President J. F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy.

1960

For the last time she opens the season at La Scala with Donizetti's neglected opera Poliuto. She sings Norma at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, directed by Alexis Minotis.

1961

She appears in Epidaurus as Luigi Cherubini’s Medea, directed by Alexis Minotis, with costumes designed by Yannis Tsarouchis. With this same role, she bids farewell to La Scala.

1964 January

Franco Zeffirelli talks her into participating in a new production of Tosca at the London Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. To this production we owe the only really representative footage of her exceptional acting on stage. Callas records the last complete opera sets of her career.

1965.

Despite her reduced vocal reserves, her return to the Met with Tosca experiences frenetic response from a delirious audience. During a new production of Norma by Franco Zeffirelli at the Paris Opéra the visually ravishing Callas succumbs to the vocal demands of the role. Her appearance, as Tosca, on July 5, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in the presence of the British Royal Family, puts an abrupt end to her stage career.

1969.

She participates in a film adaptation of Medea by Pier Paolo Pasolini, which proved a box office failure.

1971 - 1972.

She delivers masterclasses at the Julliard School of Music in New York. She records a program of operatic duets with the tenor Giuseppe di Stefano for Philips, which has remained unreleased.

1973 - 1974

An ill-advised last world tour with Giuseppe Di Stefano is completed in Sapporo, Japan. The love and enthusiasm of the audiences cannot compensate for her own awareness regarding the deterioration of her vocal abilities.

1977

She dies at her Paris apartment (September 16), where she had withdrawn after the death of Aristotle Onassis.

Shakenna K. Williams, MBA, PhD

Passionate about working alongside women and the BIPOC community to inspire, empower, and create generational wealth.

Dr. Shakenna K. Williams is the Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) and founder of the Black Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (BWEL) Program at Babson College. She also owns Kenna Business Solutions, and previously served as Deputy Academic Director and Lead Faculty Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.

With her passion to propel women entrepreneurs to new levels of success and ensure resources are accessible, Dr. Williams has been appointed to the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) and is the proud recipient of the Babson Entrepreneurial Thought and Action Award, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Changemaker Award, and the African American Female Professor of the Year Award. She also authored the book Hooked: Entrepreneurial Leadership Skills Learned While Fishing with My Dad and The Mark (excerpt).

Dr. Williams received her doctorate from Capella University (dissertation, Talent Management and Retention in Small Family-Owned Businesses: A Multiple-Case Qualitative Study), her MBA from Oklahoma City University, and her B.S. (Finance; Investments) from Babson. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Links, Incorporated, and the Academy of Management. Dr. Williams cherishes being a foster mom, and loves to travel, spend time with family, cook, and paint.