The period of unrest was the time when the Black Movement was at its peak, giving way to the Black Arts Movement, that was to gain momentum in the 1960s. During that period, a black woman made her mark in the field of opera, which was considered as a domination sphere of white women. In 1957, she made her professional debut, and took the stage by storm ever since. Christiane Eda-Pierre, the French soprano has died at 88, her family told AFP on Monday.

Eda-Pierre was born in Fort-de-France, Martinique, on 24 March 1932 to Wilhelm Eda-Pierre, a journalist for Le Courrier des Antilles and Alice Nardal Eda Pierre, a musician and piano teacher. Coming from a family inclined towards arts and music, her passion for the stage was inherent. Her aunt Paulette Nardal, an author and journalist, was the first black female student at Sorbonne.

Christiane’s biographer Catherine Marceline told AFP about Eda-Pierre first experience with opera. Her grandfather knew ‘all sorts of arias from ensembles which would stop for performances in Saint-Pierre or Fort-de-France while travelling between Europe and United States.’

EARLY LIFE

Christiane Eda-Pierre was of Martinican origin, born in Forte de France, a territory of Martinique. She learned to read music from her mother, a piano teacher, while she was still young. Her family moved to Morne Rouge when she was an infant, the northern mountain town. This town now cradles the College ‘Christiane Eda Pierre’.

Christiane was born into a family which was noted for its sophistication in artistry, especially music, and activism. Paul Nardal, her grandfather, was the first black engineer of Martinique, who also sang, and played piano and flute. Her grandmother Louise Achille Nardal was a schoolteacher and an organist. Her roots set in such musical family made her an ardent devotee of music.

She came to France for completing her studies in piano studies in the late 1950s. There she got acquainted with the Swiss Baritone Charles Panzera, who made a proposal that changed her life. He proposed that he would help her get into the rigorous Conservatoire de Paris music school, from where she graduated with honours in 1957. That was the year Eda-Pierre made her professional debut in Opera de Nice, as Leïla in Les pecheurs de perles. In a 2013 podcast, Eda-Pierre recalled, “My eyes nearly popped out of my head because I thought, ‘Me, a black girl, in the Conservatoire, it’s just not possible!”

WHEN SHE USED TO SHINE ON-STAGE

Eda-Pierre debut at Opera de Nice was in Southern France, where she performed in Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers”. This performance was alongside Gabriel Bacquier, the French bass-baritone who died in May. This was the turning point in Christiane life. A series of major roles for her in Paris followed this debut. She also won great acclaim in Mozart roles, especially Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio. She even bagged a role in the prestigious Opera Garnier. Subsequently, Eda-Pierre embarked on musical tours that brought her to arts capitals around the world, like New York, London and Vienna.

In a 1977 production of “The Tales of Hoffman”, under the direction of Patrice Chereau, Eda-Pierre had a triumphant turn, often seen as the highlight of her career. In the same year, she began to teach at the Paris Conservatory, while continuing her opera and concert endeavours.

Christiane can be heard on several recordings. Her most famous are on the Philips label, as Konstanze in Abduction from the Seraglio and Teresa in Benvenuto Cellini.

Christiane Eda-Pierre’s success and experiences in the field of music and arts made her an icon that black artists from various fields can look up to. She was one of the pioneering personalities of black representation in the art aesthetics.

Her biographer said, “She would say that the more often you put them on stage, the more normal it would eventually be.” And this is such a boost for the under-represented blacks!