On September 9, 2015, I traveled to Washington, D.C. to interview the legendary tenor and educator, George Shirley at his hotel room.  The very next day, President Obama awarded Dr. Shirley the Medal of Arts for his remarkable life in music and his trailblazing efforts for African-American singers.  

Later, in October of that year, Mr. Shirley was one of four honorees recognized by Bass-Baritone Eric Owens and the New York Philharmonic for a concert called, In Their Footsteps, which celebrated great African-American singers and their legacy.  During the course of our conversation, Dr. Shirley speaks about his experiences with the other honorees--Marian Anderson, Betty Allen and William Warfield as well as his early life in music.  We also spoke of his heroes growing up, the experience of being the first African-American tenor to sing at the Met and the state of vocal music today.  

This is, unfortunately, camera audio due to some difficulties in the field, but George Shirley's singular warmth and kind spirit transcend the "tape."

George Shirley with Mark Travis 2015

Mark Travis has been a leader in the music industry as a writer, producer, broadcaster, lecturer, and audio engineer for more than two decades.  He currently serves as the Director of Media Production for the New York Philharmonic and has produced the orchestra's broadcasts since 2003.  You can learn more about the award-winning producer here: https://www.marktravisproducer.com/about

The official Soundcloud page of the New York Philharmonic. Weekly concert broadcasts of The New York Philharmonic This Week are made available every Friday.

George Shirley with Mark Travis 2015

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