William Gatewood Workman, Jr. Collection

Collection

Identifier: DC011

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is organized as follows: 1) Biographical Information; 2) Manuscripts; 3) Correspondence; 4) Printed Material; 5) Photographs; 6) Memorabilia; 7) Recordings; and 8) Oversize. The biographical materials include information about Mr. Workman's family. There is a small amount of correspondence from him and his family, plus two manuscripts written before he attended Davidson. For additional manuscripts, see the Henry T. Lilly collection. The printed material consists mainly of programs from operas and recitals, including performances with the Charlotte Opera Association, the Metropolital Opera House, the Frankfurt Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera. There are reviews of his performances and information on the Blain-Woods memorial concert. There is information on the Plott Memorial concert where he performed with oboist Joseph Robinson (1962) under the direction of Zubin Mehta. There are photographs of Workman in concert, in operatic costume, and as formal portraits. There is also memorabilia from his time in Germany. In addition, there are many reel-to-reel recordings from his concerts and recitals. There is also an oversize folder containing posters from operas and concerts.

Dates

Creation: 1953 - 1991

Biographical / Historical

William Workman was born in Georgia but moved to Davidson, N.C. in 1951 when his father joined the Davidson College Psychology Department. Originally a trombone player, he began taking voice lessons in high school and discovered a love for singing. After graduating from North Mecklenburg High School, he began attending Davidson College. In 1960, before he had finished his studies at Davidson, he was accepted at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He studied music there for three terms of the year and returned to Davidson for summer sessions. He graduated from Davidson in 1962 and earned a degree in voice performance from the Curtis Institute in 1965. Mr. Workman made his operatic debut in 1958, appearing as Morales in the Charlotte Opera Association's production of Carmen. Since then, he sang with many operatic groups, including the Hamburg State Opera, the Frankfurt Opera Company, the Paris Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and many others. He performed lieder and concert tours in Europe, Australia, and the United States. He retired from opera and began teaching in Germany.