Wilhelmenia Fernandez

Known for her appearance in director Jean-Jacques Beineix's film Diva, American soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez also distinguished herself in musical comedy and the interpretation of gospel / spiritual music. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 5, 1949, she trained in opera singing at the city's conservatory and won a scholarship to study at the Juilliard School in New York. She made her Houston Opera debut as Bess in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and toured in a production across the US and Europe in 1976, before making her Paris debut in 1979 in the role of Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème alongside Plácido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa. It was on this occasion that French director Jean-Jacques Beineix discovered Wilhelmenia Fernandez and asked her to sing the aria "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana", from Catalani's opera La Wally, for his film Diva (1981), which also included her interpretation of Gounod's “Ave Maria.” She also appeared on the soundtrack of Ridley Scott's 1987 film Someone to Watch Over Me. After reprising the role of La Bohème in New York in 1982, the African American singer continued to perform on opera stages, notably in a production of Verdi’s Aida set in the historic site of Luxor and at the foot of the pyramids in Egypt. She also sang in Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s Tosca, and Verdi’s Luisa Miller. In 1992, she won the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in the musical Carmen Jones, adapted by Oscar Hammerstein II from Bizet's opera. On the recording front, Wilhelmenia Fernandez worked with pianist George Darden on an album of African American sacred tunes, Spirituals (1982), and a recital of Gershwin melodies, Gershwin Songs (1987). In 1994, she took part in the recording of David Fanshawe's choral work, African Sanctus, in the version conducted by Neville Creed, to great public acclaim. She retired from the stage after a recital at the Les Eclectiques festival in Rocamadour, Lot, on July 19, 2004, Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez died of cancer in Lexington, Kentucky, on February 2, 2024, at the age of 75.