Reri Grist (born February 29, 1932) is an American coloratura soprano, recognized as one of the pioneering African-American singers to achieve significant international success in opera.
Biography
Reri Grist was born in New York City and raised in the East River Housing Projects. She attended the High School of Music & Art and later graduated with a BA in music from Queens College, City University of New York.
Her career began with performances on Broadway, including roles in Robert Ardrey’s play “Jeb” and Leonard Bernstein’s musical “West Side Story.” Grist’s operatic debut came in 1956 as Cindy Lou in Oscar Hammerstein’s adaptation of Bizet’s “Carmen.”
Throughout her career, Grist performed with prestigious orchestras and opera houses worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic, Zurich Opera, and Metropolitan Opera. She earned acclaim for her roles in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” Massenet’s “Manon,” and Richard Strauss’s operas.
Grist concluded her operatic career in 1991 at De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam, with Morton Feldman’s “Neither.” She later held professorships in voice at Indiana University Bloomington and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.
Filmography
- “Ariadne auf Naxos” (1965), Zerbinetta
- “Le nozze di Figaro” (1966), Susanna
- “Don Pasquale” (1972), Norina
- “Un ballo in maschera” (1975), Oscar
- “Die Entführung aus dem Serail” (1980), Blondchen
- “Die schweigsame Frau” (1972), Aminta
- “Reri Grist – Singer” (1976), director Axel Corti
- “Da Capo” with August Everding (1996)
- “Tatort,” Bayerischer Rundfunk (1996)
- “Aida’s Brothers and Sisters,” Marieke Schroeder
- “Opera is Theatre/Oper ist Theater” (2002), Marieke Schroeder
