Un bel di vedremo

Leona Mitchell (born October 13, 1948, [Enid, Oklahoma], is an [African-American] and [Chickasaw][operatic] [Soprano] and an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee. She is also a [Grammy Award]-winning soprano who sang for 18 seasons as a leading spinto soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In her home state of Oklahoma, Miss Mitchell has been awarded many honors. These include The Oklahoma Hall of Fame, The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, The Women's Hall of Fame and The Jazz Hall of Fame. Her home town of Enid has a street named after her called Leona Mitchell Boulevard, as well as a Museum named in her honor called "The Leona Mitchell Southern Heights Heritage Center and Museum". The Honorable Governor Brad Henry of Oklahoma made her Oklahoma's State Cultural Ambassador. In late 2014, Miss Mitchell was inducted into The Oklahoma African Hall of Fame. Miss Mitchell was a leading Soprano with The Metropolitan Opera of New York for 18 seasons. Many of her roles at the Met were varied and illustrious. She essayed in many new productions: Ernani, Turandot, and Aida. Some other roles at the Met were: Micaela, Manon from Manon Lescaut, Leonora from La Forza Del Destino and Il Trovatore, Amelia, The Masked Ball, Delilah from Handel's Samson, Pamina, Madame Butterfly, Mimi & Musetta, La Boheme, Lauretta, and Madame Lidouine in French and English. She has also appeared with many worldwide major symphony orchestras including those in London, Japan, New York, Los Angeles, Israel, Chicago, Monte Carlo, Philadelphia, Edinburgh, Florence, Pittsburg, Cleveland and others. Miss Mitchell has performed Recitals all over the world: Alice Tully Hall, New York Australia, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Japan, Madrid, Sydney, Ottawa, Sardenia, Hawaii, Korea and all across The United States. Miss Mitchell also toured Japan with The Florence Opera and Zubin Mehta and Covent Garden. Leona Mitchell has performed for four US Presidents: Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton & Vice President George Bush along with many dignitaries which include Prince Charles, Princess Anne, The Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, and Bishop Tutu. On July 5, 1986, she performed on the [New York Philharmonic's] tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the [Statue of Liberty], which was televised live from Central Park on [ABC Television]. She sang the [aria] 'Un bel difrom [Puccini]'s Madama Butterfly and the American |spiritual [He's Got the Whole World in His Hands]. Miss Mitchell has appeared in a production with each one of the Three Tenors: Ernani with Luciano Pavarotti, Turandot with Plácido Domingo, and "Carmen" with José Carreras, each of which has been recorded on DVD. In addition, She has appeared on many televised broadcasts, including The Merv Griffin Show," The Dick Cavett Show, The Jerry Lewis Telethon,[Good Morning America], CBS Night watch, The Charlie Rhodes Show, Public Television along with many PBS "Live from Lincoln Center Broadcasts","Live from the Met series" and The Kennedy Center Honors.


Lyrics & English Translation

One good day, we will see
Arising a strand of smoke
Over the far horizon on the sea
And then the ship appears
And then the ship is white
It enters into the port, it rumbles its salute.

Do you see it? He is coming!
I don't go down to meet him, not I.
I stay upon the edge of the hill
And I wait a long time
but I do not grow weary of the long wait.

And leaving from the crowded city,
A man, a little speck
Climbing the hill.
Who is it? Who is it?
And as he arrives
What will he say? What will he say?
He will call Butterfly from the distance
I without answering
Stay hidden
A little to tease him,
A little as to not die.
At the first meeting,
And then a little troubled
He will call, he will call
"Little one, dear wife
Blossom of orange"
The names he called me at his last coming.
All this will happen,
I promise you this
Hold back your fears -
I with secure faith wait for him.


A link to this wonderful artists personal website:

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I send my kind and warm regards,