The soprano Martina Arroyo, who has died aged 90, was one of the generation of black American opera singers – others were Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, Shirley Verrett and Grace Bumbry – who in their early careers faced institutionalised racial prejudice before achieving international recognition. Having proved herself to be one of the finest exponents of the leading Verdi roles, Arroyo was finally able to establish herself in the US, as well as worldwide, and went on to become, after her retirement from the stage, a distinguished teacher and ambassador for the art form.
Although her vocal talent had been noticed at an early age, she was advised, in view of the paucity of opportunities for black singers, to develop a back-up career – she was engaged for a year as a high-school classroom teacher and for two further years as a social worker – before achieving a measure of recognition from two events in 1958, when she was 22.
