White Eagle

 

 

White Eagle auditioned for the San Francisco Opera in 1985 and was accepted into that year's Merola Opera Program. Over the years we kept in touch.   

I recently learned that he had been inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame Program and through that publicity I learned a number of things I did not know.  I want to share this with you. 

"White Eagle, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, was determined at an yearly age that he wanted an opera singer. At the age of five, this minister's son gave his first public performance in his father's church.  In 1971, he made his professional debut as a soloist at one of the nation's largest churches (Crystal Cathedral) and two years later began working with the vocal group Re-Generation. Over the next eight years White Eagle performed more than 4,000 concerts to some five million people in the U.S. and Canada. 

"In 1985 White Eagle graduated from the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera. Afterwards there were appearances at some of the country's premier opera houses including the Florentine and Cleveland Operas. He became the first native American to sing leading roles in both opera and American musical theater. In January 1989, White Eagle sang at the inaugural gala for newly elected President George Bush. White Eagle made his debut at New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall in September 1993, one month after being diagnosed with AIDS. White Eagle died two years later on July 7, 1995, at age 43 at his home with family in Mission, San Diego."

Eagle was a talented singer with a beautiful voice. It is regrettable that his promising career was cut short by the scourge of AIDS.  

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LOST BIRD

While writing about White Eagle, I was reminded that I had a twice removed first cousin, named "Lost Bird" who was a Lakota Indian. Lost Bird was recovered under the dead body of her mother, in the aftermath of the Battle at Wounded Knee and was adopted by my great great aunt and uncle. I will write about "Lost Bird" in my next blog. 

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I am excited to announce that my book, ABDUCTED, is available as an eBook for those who prefer to read your books on a Kindle device!

Here is the link to the eBook on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWYFVCCH

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Thank you, Alice
 

Onward and upward.