ATLANTA — February is Black History Month and 11Alive is celebrating the accomplishments of a Grammy-nominated Black opera singer who's based out of the Atlanta area.
Victor Ryan Robertson is the only person to make his Met Opera, Kennedy Center, and Broadway debut in the same year. Now he's bringing his talent and impressive voice to the Atlanta Opera while inspiring young people of color to reach for their highest dream and note.
Robertson fell in love with singing in grade school.
“I used to get in trouble all the time because I would sing in class," he told 11Alive. "I remember one time I was in the fourth grade and the teacher came. She knelt by me, and she goes, 'You're going to sing for a living.'"
Singing led Robinson to a rock band and touring all over the Southeast.
“We had one concert at a café and a professor at Georgia State University heard me sing. After the show said, ‘You need to sing opera.’ I was like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘I'm not doing that,’” Robertson recalled.
He did go into opera thanks to the astute ear of that GSU professor, which turned out to be a very good decision.
“Opera really called me, and it's weird how it called me. It was like a siren, like a woman just calling you and you can't say no," Robertson explained.
Robinson has been an opera singer since 2004, describing it as the "Olympic of the Olympics of singing."
And one of his shows at the Strand Center has even earned Olympic-worthy accolades this year.
“X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X, who was just nominated for a Grammy and The New York Times said it was one of the best things of the year," Robertson said.
Now Robinson is back singing in the Peach State.
“I'm doing 'Candide' right now at the Cobb Energy Center with Atlanta Opera, and I'm playing four villains," Robertson said.
He's rehearsing for the Atlanta Opera performances in March and showing other people of color they can do whatever they set their minds to.
“If I'm representing an opera and someone says, “You know, I can do that, I can actually if he's doing it, I know I can do it,’" Robertson said. "It gives them kind of like a tacit endorsement to become who they really want to be.”
"Candide" opens on March 4th at the Cobb Center Performing Arts Center. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.