Kathleen Battle: Surviving The Battle

The tale of Kathleen Battle's life is one of peaks and valleys: filled with beautiful arias and dark moments of decent and treachery. Yet Kathleen comes out on top.

Disclaimer: We do not own the rights of some footage. All borrowed footage is protected under the Fair Use Act of 1976 and is being used for educational purposes.

Citation: "Gone With the Wind" owned by Warner Brothers

[CurtisCT]

I saw Kathleen Battle when she performed here in Vienna several years ago. I was a voice student at the time and could only afford one of those cheap standing room only tickets way up in the rafters at the back of the theater. But even from such a far distance her voice was so pure and silvery that it rang throughout the entire theater like a bell! After her finale, the audience was so enthralled that they applauded for several minutes and absolutely REFUSED to allow her to leave the stage. She had to give one encore after another.

After the concert I joined the very long line that had formed to get her autograph. I was the last person in line and waited very patiently for maybe an hour or so until it was finally my turn. The two people in front of me were Asian tourists, and they were so enthusiastic that they begged Miss Battle for a photo. Before she even had time to answer they had crowded around her and almost bullied her into the picture. She was trying to be as gracious as she could, but you could tell she was just exhausted after the concert and didn't have the energy to resist being pulled this way and that. So she obediently submitted to be photographed by the couple, who had already taken several pictures with or without her consent. I felt so sorry for her!

After they had finished having their way with her, I walked up to her and respectfully asked if I could have an autograph. She looked up at me with a forced, exhausted smile and signaled for my program to sign. While she was signing I apologized to her for the demanding behavior of the tourist couple. She just looked at me, handed me back my signed program and said some well-rehearsed line like "thank you for your concern" or something to that effect - without any feeling or emotion whatsoever. You could tell she'd been violated many times before in like manner.

I was the last audience member still there, so I thanked her and headed out to my car. As I started driving around the building to get to the main road, I saw a small, lonely figure exit through the back door of the concert theater through the corner of my eye. I watched as the tiny figure crossed the road, carrying a huge duffle bag over her shoulders. It was none other than Kathleen Battle herself! I watched as she carried her heavy bag, no doubt containing her dress and other accessories for that night's performance, crossed the road and then entered through the side door of the Hotel Imperial adjacent the concert theater. She then disappeared inside.

A few years earlier one of my friends, also an opera singer, revealed to me that he had the loneliest job in the world. He flies constantly from one city to the next, and after each recital he returns to his hotel room, has a bite to eat and then goes straight to bed all alone. There's no one to talk to, no time to go sightseeing, no friends to entertain you. You quarantine yourself all day in your hotel room so you don't catch a cold and have to cancel a concert, thereby leading to lost wages. You then get up the next day and repeat all over again. This was undoubtedly Kathleen Battle's fate that night.

[bogofusion]

I sang in the May Festival with her and she was kind, charming and exceptionally talented. She was my voice teachers roommate and when she’d answer the door she was shy in the extreme. Her vocal musicianship is perfect and I listen to her vocal interpretations and imitate them in my harp repertoire. She is one of the most advanced artists of our time. I do not believe she holds other artists to any standard higher than that to which she holds herself, and she is a perfectionist. That is troubling to many.

[baritonebynight]

I was lucky enough to see her recital at the Met last Sunday. She is now 75 years old but is very much in command of her instrument and the sound is still heavenly. She had the entire Met audience on its feet several times...it will be a night to remember.

[alethaarchie-vgyl]

There was no room for Ms. Battle to be anything less than perfect. With her immense talent she set a high bar and continued breaking down barriers for people of color in the classical arts. I remain in awe and inspired by her passion and talent. In this time I imagine if the events replayed she'd be met with more understanding as just needing a mental health break.

[jonahsahn]

I was at that concert in 2016. It started 45 minutes late but it was great.

[baritonebynight]

I can only speak from my experience. I was able to meet her after a recital in her hometown and she was nothing but kind to me. I was cautioned about meeting her, but I simply had to meet one of the voices that inspired me to do what I do.

[vernugt]

She was beautiful but I can say truly that she was appreciated solely for her voice. I don't think anyone thought of her as a fem-fatale. Certainly not other young singers- we wanted to BE her. Back then people bought records / CD's and listened to them over and over. I spent hours listening, not watching, her. Her voice was so unique. I would not have cared what she looked like. Being beautiful was just a lucky coincidence.

[melissabx]

I was a young singer in college in upstate NY in 1990 when I overheard a fellow student playing Kathleen Battle. I had no idea who she was but for my ears it was love at first sight! I have seen her perform many times live in recital and I was fortunate enough to meet her several times at record releases held at Tower records in Lincoln Center and at the school where I worked. Like Kathleen I also became a music teacher and it just so happened that one of my colleagues was a vocalist from Ohio and they had a connection. Ms. Battle would visit the school from time to time to give some input on the school chorus and my colleague even got one of the conductor spots at Ms. Battle’s 2016 return to The Met performance. She’s a master at musicality and her charisma and talent are truly God given. Many, many artists are known for their demanding ways and sometimes eccentric requests. They can be paranoid and narcissistic, but it comes from a place of very high expectations, mainly of themselves. Kathleen had a whole new career after The Met fired her. She was free to explore other artistic interests and gain a whole new repertoire. Congrats on a great video

[leonwilliams]

I absolutely love the way Miss Battle handled this disrespectful and catty interviewer. It was as if she answered the question without having to say another word. How about I show you difficult and end this interview. That woman had the rare opportunity to conduct an interview with one of the most remarkable artists of our time and she decided to veer off into some foolishness which resulted in her face being cracked. I found it amazing that almost at the same time that the perfection, artistry, beauty and vocal gift of Kathleen Battle emerged as many haters seemed to stand in line to show how envious, jealous and perturbed they all were that she occupied a space in history which was unprecedented and untouched making her the most beloved and sought after artist of her time. I met Miss Battle several times and she was an absolute delight. Whatever she needed to do to shield her unmatched and cherished gift from the haters, I applaud and fully condone. I will ALWAYS revere her as a standard setter and a truly glorious gift from God. Nobody did it better snd I have yet to witness another artist who has succeeded her with even the slightest degree of comparability.

[cbesthelper]

Enough with the snobbery from some posters criticizing the author! He did a very good job and I am sure put in a lot of effort. Stop being so picky about insignificant things, commenters. If you like the video, say so, and show some appreciation. If you don't like it, go elsewhere. No one's stopping you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this video portrayal of Kathleen Battle. I often wondered why such a big thing was made of her personality. Leonard Bernstein is just one of many who was downright cruel at times, and a bully. Nobody fired him.

[Handsome]

Kathleen was a diva in a scary way.. I’ve talked to a lot of people from the Met, agents and PR agencies.. they have nothing good to say about her.. I still love her.. she is a brilliant artist..

[erwinandaya]

Thank you soooo much for this very informative video about my one and only Kathleen Battle! I will be a forever fan of her very distinct and unique soprano voice.

[needHIM]

Kathleen Battle is an outstanding, gifted vocalist.

[TerrelLism]

Ms. Battle could be both a great talent beyond her years and a person people couldn't stand to work with. It's not always jealously, hate, or an 'I wish I was them" mentality. Sometimes, it's the person. Sometimes, a person ages, looks back on things they could have done better, and mellos out. Also, if she felt some type of way about being dismissed from the Met at that time, at least from history, she didn't put up a fight to defend herself.

[jamessheridan]

This "you're not allowed to look at me" business is not confined to opera. From what I understand, it is also quite common in Hollywood.

[chanj]

This is an excellent video. No question KB was a difficult diva. Her reputation was well deserved among a long lineage of difficult divas. Maria Callas comes to mind.
I ♥️ Kathleen Battle!

[jeffreydavis]

When I saw her in cerritos performing arts center. I was smitten. Her voice was absolutely pitch perfect. Like a song bird. Gorgeous..

[EudoraPrice]

Wonderful 🌹 💕 💖 Kind Woman and Artist...In this Business have to be Strong and not let People walk over you

[richardvergara]

A friend of mine worked with her while in college when she was doing the latest tour and wanted to work with most of the HBCU choirs. She told me Ms. Battle was “fucking crazy.”

[asdfopera]

You can tell that some opera singers have a list of questions interviewers are allowed to ask, and they have prepared stock answers they use for years and years. That interview was a setup becauss Battle was asked something that was not agreed to, in an attempt to ruin her. Unfortunately, by her reaction, she played right into their hands and gave the response they wanted.