François Clemmons
Encyclopedia
"Dr." François Scarborough Clemmons (b. April 23, 1945 in Birmingham, Alabama
) is an American
singer, performer, playwright and university lecturer. He is perhaps best known for his appearances on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
throughout the 1970s.
while he was still very young. He was raised in a musical household, and some of the first songs he sang were pre-Civil War Negro spirituals which he heard his great grandmother sing while she was working. When it was discovered that Clemmons had a gifted singing voice, he began to sing at nursery school and at church functions.
Clemmons received a Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin College
, and a Master of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University
. (Middlebury College
, where he now teaches, awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts in 1996.)
In 1968, Clemmons won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Pittsburgh. In Cleveland, Ohio
, he won a position in the Metropolitan Opera
Studio and began performing professionally in operas.
" on the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the neighborhood itself, Clemmons ran a singing and dance studio located in the building catty-corner from Mr. Rogers' house
When he was unable to find a society like the one he envisioned, Clemmons decided to create one: The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, dedicated to "preserving, sustaining and commissioning new and traditional arrangements of American Negro Spirituals for future generations."
. His works currently in progress include an autobiography, a children's book, and a volume of poetry.
, the national fraternity for men in music, of which Fred Rogers was also a member.
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, performer, playwright and university lecturer. He is perhaps best known for his appearances on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, also known as Mister Rogers, is an American children's television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series is aimed primarily at preschool ages, 2-5, but has been stated by Public Broadcasting Service as "appropriate for all ages"...
throughout the 1970s.
History
Clemmons was born in Alabama, but his family moved to Youngstown, OhioYoungstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
while he was still very young. He was raised in a musical household, and some of the first songs he sang were pre-Civil War Negro spirituals which he heard his great grandmother sing while she was working. When it was discovered that Clemmons had a gifted singing voice, he began to sing at nursery school and at church functions.
Clemmons received a Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, and a Master of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
. (Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, where he now teaches, awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts in 1996.)
In 1968, Clemmons won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Pittsburgh. In Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, he won a position in the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
Studio and began performing professionally in operas.
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
For 25 years, Clemmons performed the role of Officer Clemmons, a friendly neighborhood policeman, in the "Neighborhood of Make-BelieveNeighborhood of Make-Believe
The Neighborhood of Make-Believe is the fictional kingdom inhabited by the hand puppet characters on the children's television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, produced from 1968 to 2001...
" on the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the neighborhood itself, Clemmons ran a singing and dance studio located in the building catty-corner from Mr. Rogers' house
The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble
In the late 1980s, Clemmons had an experience singing spirituals with a friend that left him profoundly moved. The experience led him away from operatic performance toward an earlier love: traditional spirituals:
I was enjoying the singing of these spirituals .... I was giving artistry in a way -- I was giving my art in a way that I had not felt it was so important as when I was singing Mozart -- or when I was singing Schubert -- or Donizetti or Bellini .... I began to ask Fred Rogers why there was no professional ensemble that sang spirituals comparable to a Haydn Society or a St. Cecelia Society or a Handel Society or Bach.
When he was unable to find a society like the one he envisioned, Clemmons decided to create one: The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, dedicated to "preserving, sustaining and commissioning new and traditional arrangements of American Negro Spirituals for future generations."
Writing and arranging
Clemmons has arranged a volume of spirituals called Song for Today and has written and produced a stage musical based on the life of Roland HayesRoland Hayes
Roland Hayes was a lyric tenor and is considered the first African American male concert artist to receive wide international acclaim as well as at home...
. His works currently in progress include an autobiography, a children's book, and a volume of poetry.
Personal life
Dr. Clemmons lives and works in Middlebury, Vermont, where he is an artist-in-residence and Twilight Scholar at Middlebury College. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
, the national fraternity for men in music, of which Fred Rogers was also a member.