We the People IV (New Britain)

The fourth installment of the We the People series focuses on African-American musical elements with Elisabeth Lyra Ross as its headline soprano. Her international career has included the opera roles of Aida, Tosca, and Madame Butterfly. She made her debut with the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1989, and she was in the New York City Opera production of Porgy and Bess which was nominated for an Emmy Award for the Live from Lincoln Center Series. Ross debuted with the New Britain Chorale as a soprano soloist in Karol Szymanowski’s “Stabat Mater”, followed by her performance in Verdi’s Requiem in 1999. She has also been the featured soprano soloist with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society. In July 2014, Elizabeth, who was the first African American female member of The United States Army Band and Chorus, appeared with them as a guest soloist in two concerts, including one on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.