Sing for Your Life: A Story of Race, Music, and Family

Article number 10222295

Ryan Speedo Green grows up in difficult circumstances in southeastern Virginia, in a family marked by poverty, violence, neglect, and instability. At the age of twelve he is placed in a juvenile detention facility, where he is subjected to isolation and appears to have little prospect of a successful future. His life begins to change when teachers recognize his energy and channel it into music. Green discovers an exceptional singing talent and gradually develops into a gifted bass-baritone. In 2011, at the age of twenty-four, he wins a prestigious competition held by the Metropolitan Opera against roughly 1,200 other singers, opening the way to an international opera career. Daniel Bergner follows Green's extraordinary journey from a troubled childhood to the world of professional opera while exploring the importance of education, mentorship, discipline, and family. The book also examines race, social inequality, and the challenges faced by Black performers in the predominantly white world of classical music, presenting a compelling story of talent, resilience, transformation, and redemption.