James Weldon Johnson, along with his brother, musician J. Rosamond Johnson, and showman Bob Cole, made up one of the most successful songwriting teams of the first decade of the twentieth century. The trio actively worked to elevate Black stage performance away from minstrelsy, the only avenue available for Black performers at the time, by challenging societal expectations at the turn of the century through their popular songs and stage shows.
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Lisa Williamson is a soprano vocalist and music scholar. She is an active performer of opera, concert, musical theater, and art songs and has sung with the Harford and New Haven Symphonies, Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, the Ivoryton Playhouse, and The United States Coast Guard Band, among others. She holds degrees from the Yale School of Music and the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at UConn, focusing on the music of Black American composers. Lisa lives in Connecticut with her husband, Commander Adam Williamson, the director of the United States Coast Guard Band, and their son. Find out more about her work and upcoming performances at LisaWilliamsonSoprano.com.