Opera star and Civil Rights pioneer Barbara Smith Conrad dies

Camp County native Barbara Smith Conrad, an American operatic mezzo-soprano of international acclaim, died during the morning hours of Monday, May 22, in Manhattan, according to a Facebook post by David Kelso’s Voice Studio.
“Barbara was an incredible teacher and friend. She passed on her knowledge of the great Negro Spirituals to many of us,” said David Kelso. “How she saw the Spirituals as America’s great contribution to music literature with the same respect to be given to them as Schubert or Schumann lieder. I’m heartbroken to lose her and so very grateful for all the love and knowledge she shared with me. I quote her every day in my own teaching. Hers is a legacy that I will proudly sing and continue to share with my students”
The 79-year-old was born in Center Point community near Pittsburg in 1940 and was the youngest of five children. 
At age 6, she performed with her brother the complicated music of Mozart. She and her siblings explored a variety of musical genres on the family piano and in their local Baptist church.
Conrad performed in Europe and North and South America on stages ranging from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to the Vienna State Opera to Teatro Nacional Venezuela. 

From complete story, read the May 25 issue of The Gazette.