Breath and Imagination at Paramount Center

Before Marian Anderson sang a note or Paul Robeson picked up Shakespeare, another African-American classical artist was wowing everyone from commoners to kings: the lyric tenor Roland Hayes. Though perhaps not as well known today as Anderson and Robeson, Hayes was actually the first world-renowned African-American classical vocalist. Now the musical Breath & Imagination chronicles this creative pioneer's amazing journey -- from growing up the son of a slave on a Georgia plantation to singing before the crowned heads of Europe as a cultural sensation. Employing both spirituals and classical music, Breath & Imagination explores one man's determination to be an artist despite incredible odds. Performer Elijah Rock reprises his NAACP Award-winning role as Hayes in this Mainstage production at The Paramount Center.