Early Years
Othalie Graham was born in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Her father, a Jamaican born Canadian, instilled in Graham a strong identification with Jamaican music and culture. When Graham was young, her father sparked her interest in opera by taking her to see a Leontyne Price recital. Her passion in opera grew while attending high school at the Etobicoke School of the Arts. While in Canada, Graham was awarded first place in the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Competition and received the coveted Jean Chalmers prize in the Canadian Music Competition.
In 1989, she started college as a biology major.
In 2000, she began attending Philadelphia's prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts, or AVA. At AVA, she studied under Bill Schuman and continues to study with Schuman. In 2002, Graham won the Opera at Florham voice competition. In 2003, Graham won the Liederkranz Society's annual competition and made her New York City recital debut with that choral society. She was also the New Jersey district winner of the 2003 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a finalist in the 2003 Palm Beach Opera Competition. In 2004, Graham spent the summer training under the widely admired Italian opera singer Renata Scotto at the Renata Scotto Opera Academy at the Music Conservatory of Westchester.
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