BY JASON COHEN
Raised in Soundview while
surrounded by violence and
crime, Leroy Davis never
imagined he would be a professional
singer.
But, today the 35-year-old is
living in the Windy City and is
set to perform with the Lyric
Opera of Chicago in a virtual
concert, Sole e Amore, on Feb.
21. At Lyric he is in a premier
artist-development program,
learning and working to become
the next generation of
opera artists.
He will also be a soloist in
the upcoming show and has
been a huge part of the virtual
season. Furthermore, this is
only his fi rst year as a Ryan
Opera Center Ensemble member.
“Coming from Soundview
to being here in Chicago I just
consider myself very lucky,”
he explained. “It’s not a path I
ever thought I could take. It’s
had so many twists and turns.
I’m glad things worked out the
way they did.”
As a child Davis fell in love
with music as his mom was always
playing Motown in the
house. The smooth sounds
permeated in his head and the
rhythms and beats moved his
soul.
He went to P.S. 47 in Soundview,
but attended middle
and high school in Manhattan
where he found his love
for singing. In seventh grade
he joined the traveling boys
choir and has been performing
ever since. They had concerts
throughout the country and
even in places like Japan.
“It was a very interesting
experience because a lot
of friends I knew were trying
to do the same thing,” he recalled.
However, he told the Bronx
Times he never knew where it
would take him.
“Besides singing R&B,
I didn’t think it would be a
way towards a career,” he explained.
But, not knowing if this
was the route he wanted, Davis
took a brief hiatus from singing
in his early 20s and began
studying computer science.
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, F 16 EB. 19-25, 2021 BTR
“Music doesn’t really make
you a living unless you make
it to superstardom,” he commented.
Everything changed when
the late Warren Wilson, his
former voice teacher, told him
to audition for the Mannes
College of Music. Wilson explained
that it is rare for Black
people to sing classical music
professionally, especially
African American men. He
graduated from there in 2013
and later earned his master’s
in vocal performance at Bard
College.
Davis began to harness his
singing as he got a full scholarship
to the New England
Conservatory in Boston. During
his second year there Davis
was asked what his goals
and by this point his eyes were
on singing professionally.
“I was almost afraid to
be on stage,” he recalled. “I
thought I was very much unprepared
for the opera world.”
From there he spent time
in Louisiana and Milwaukee
Bronx native Leroy Davis who will be in a virtual opera in Chicago. Courtesy
and fi nally landed in Chicago
with the Lyric Opera in July
2020.
Looking back on everything
that has led him to this
point he is quite fortunate and
grateful for all of the guidance
along the way.
“It’s only now that I’ve been
realizing I’ve been so lucky
being in the right place at the
right time,” he stated.
of Leroy Davis
Bronx native to perform
virtual opera in Chicago
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