Denyce Graves

Soon after, she was invited by David Gockley to participate in the Houston Opera Studio, from 1988 to 1990, where she studied with Elena Nikolaidi.

[5] Graves sang "America the Beautiful" and "The Lord's Prayer" at the Washington National Cathedral during a memorial service for the victims of 9/11 on September 14, 2001, attended by President Bush, members of Congress, other politicians and representatives of foreign governments.

In 2005, she sang the lead role in the world premiere of Margaret Garner, an opera by Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison.

In 2014, a recording of We Shall Overcome arranged by composer Nolan Williams, Jr. and featuring Graves was among several works of art, including the poem A Brave and Startling Truth by Maya Angelou, sent to space on the first test flight of the spacecraft Orion.

[9] On September 25, 2020, Graves sang at the US Capitol as her friend Ruth Bader Ginsburg's casket was lying in state.

Denyce Graves official portrait.
Portrait painted by Ben Fortunado Marcune
Graves performing at the PBS National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C., 2009
Four adult women standing in a lobby perhaps, stiff pose, large indoor plant in background
Graves marked Women's History Month in 2003, with Senator Hillary Clinton , House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi , and former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro .