Mattiwilda Dobbs (July 11, 1925 – December 8, 2015) was an American coloratura soprano and was one of the first black singers to enjoy a major international career in opera.

[1][2] Following her graduation, she moved to New York City and studied with German soprano Lotte Leonard[3] while completing a Master's degree in Spanish at Columbia University.

[1] Dobbs initially performed in Europe as a concert recitalist;[2] however, after winning the International Music Competition in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1951,[1] she went on to sing at the major festivals and opera houses throughout the continent.

[5] Dobbs performed the role of Elvira in L'italiana in Algeri, which also marked the first time a black artist sang in that opera house.

[4] Her successful, high-profile European career is considered significant in setting an example to younger black female singers such as Leontyne Price, Shirley Verrett, Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle.

She made her Metropolitan Opera debut, as Gilda in Rigoletto, on November 9, 1956, becoming the first African American singer to perform in a romantic role.

[10] In a review of her performance, Carl Van Vechten wrote that Dobbs' was "glorious ... a warm and brilliant coloratura, and the best Gilda in my experience.

[16] Dobbs's notable recordings include Die Entführung aus dem Serail (in English), opposite Nicolai Gedda (who was born the same day as she was, July 11, 1925),[4] and conducted by Yehudi Menuhin, Les pêcheurs de perles conducted by René Leibowitz, and a recital of opera arias and songs, released in 1998 by Testament Records.

[17] She sang both Olympia and Antonia in a complete recording of The Tales of Hoffmann featuring Leopold Simoneau and Heinz Rehfuss, and conducted by Pierre-Michel Le Conte, which was issued in 1958 by Epic in stereo in the USA and by Concert Hall in Europe, and reissued on CD in 2008.

[19] In 1983, Dobbs received the James Weldon Johnson Award in Fine Arts from the Atlanta National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).