Stand Up Straight and Sing!: A Memoir

Jessye Norman

Nov 2020 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Mia Ellis

About this audiobook

In Stand Up Straight and Sing!, Jessye Norman recalls in rich detail the strong women who were her role models, from her ancestors to family friends, relatives, and teachers. She hails the importance of her parents in her early learning and experiences in the arts. And she describes coming face-to-face with racism, not just as a child living in the segregated South but also as an adult out and about in the world. Norman speaks of the many who have inspired her and taught her essential life lessons. A special interlude on her key relationship with the pioneering African American singer Marian Anderson reveals the lifelong support that this great predecessor provided through her example of dignity and grace at all times.

About the author

Jessye Norman (1945-2019) was one of America's greatest and most accomplished singers, with five Grammy Awards, dozens of international prizes, the National Medal of the Arts, and a Kennedy Center Honor among her countless accolades.

Mia Ellis is a member of the Resident Acting Company at Trinity Repertory Company. Based in Providence and New York, she is also a teaching artist and writer. Some of her film and television credits include Elementary, Person of Interest, and Louder Than Words. Mia is a graduate of the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Acting Program.