Lawrence Harris

FROM FOOTBALL TO OPERA   BARITONE LAWRENCE HARRIS has received critical acclaim for his From Football to Opera which has been presented to hundreds of children across America with its message of discipline in music and sports, respect for each other, and pride in one's own heritage.   ARTIST BIO Lawrence Harris was a professional football player in the National Football League with the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans).   In From Football to Opera, Lawrence shares his journey and demonstrates how the athletic training and experience he received is directly applicable to his discipline and artistic endeavor as a professional opera singer. Mr. Harris began singing at the age of four.  He is half Mississippi Choctaw and grew up in Sherman, Texas.  As a child, Lawrence sang in church and gospel choirs.   As a teenager, he continued to sing in musical theater and in school choruses at the same time as he began to play football. Upon graduating from high school, Larry was awarded college scholarships in both music and football.  From college, he was drafted in the seventh round for the Houston Oilers and spent eight years as a Defensive End.   His professional career in music began when he sang bit parts with the Houston Grand Opera, in the off-season while he was still a professional football player.  After Harris was sidelined due to an injury, he made his move back to singing where he dedicated himself to this art form and made his New York opera debut in 1993.   Following his debut, The New York Times called him "a major voice".  Lawrence has had leading roles in Tosca, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Samson & Dalila, La Boheme, I Pagliacci and more with regional opera companies throughout North America such as Tulsa Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, Opera North, New Rochelle Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Hawaii Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera East Texas, San Antonio Opera and the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

Manhattan School of Music (opera)