The Todd Duncan Collection
The African American Music Collection is the central repository for the Todd Duncan papers.
Todd Duncan was the well-known and respected baritone vocalist who was best known as the singer who created the role of Porgy in George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess." Performing the role over 1800 times in both the original 1935 production and the 1942 production, Duncan was also a renowned concert artist who gave over 2000 recitals over a span of 25 years in o over 300 cities. He performed all over the world to great acclaim traveling often to Europe, South and Central America and to Australia and New Zealand. He also performed in other operas (Pagliacci, Aida, Carmen, and Rigoletto) and starred in theatrical and film productions ("Unchained"-1956). In addition to performing, Duncan taught voice privately from 1934 until his death.
The Todd Duncan Collection are composed of scrapbooks, photographs, and clippings of Duncan. Included in these papers are Duncan's financial records and correspondence with renown operatic contemporaries, plus photographs with many Presidents and international dignitaries.