Adele Addison was born on July 24th 1925 in New York City. She grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts and began singing as a teenager. She received scholarships to study at the Westminster Choir College as an undergraduate, and later to pursue graduate studies at Princeton University. Addison made her professional debut in Boston in 1948. She moved to New York City after graduating from Princeton, pursuing a career as a classical soprano. She studied voice at the Juilliard School, and made her opera debut in 1955 as mimi in Puccini’s La bohème. She appeared in a few other operas throughout her career, but her preference was to sing in recital and on the concert stage. In 1959, Addison was the singing voice for Bess, played by Dorothy Dandridge, in the movie Porgy and Bess. Addison performed with numerous major orchestras throughout her career, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. Addison retired from singing in the 1960s and focused on teaching music at a variety of schools in New York.
