Leontyne Price Birthplace — Laurel, Mississippi

Leontyne Price — Mary Violet Leontyne Price — was born on February 10, 1927, in Laurel, Mississippi, and became one of the great operatic sopranos of the 20th century, the first African American to become a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera. Growing up in the Jim Crow South, Price's talent was nurtured by her family and local church, and a scholarship to the Juilliard School opened the world of classical music to her. Her debut at the Met in 1961, as Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore, drew a 42-minute standing ovation — one of the longest in the house's history.

Price's voice — rich, powerful, and immaculately controlled — made her a Verdi soprano of the first rank, and her recordings of Aida, La Forza del Destino, and other Verdi operas remain benchmarks. She was also instrumental in bringing Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra to the world, as the opera was written for and premiered by her at the Met's new Lincoln Center house in 1966. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.

Laurel, Mississippi, has acknowledged Price's extraordinary legacy with a historical marker and civic celebrations. The town is in Jones County in the longleaf pine region of south-central Mississippi. Price retired from opera in 1985 with a celebrated farewell recital at the Met and has continued to be honoured in her home state.