Opera Singer Limmie Pulliam Lets His "Little Light" Shine on the LBK
World Class Tenor Graces the Stage with Maestro David Cho and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra
Operatic Tenor Limmie Pulliam visited our fair, flat city during the week of March 18th. He was feted at the Caviel Museum of African American History, where he put on a Community Outreach Recital.
Asked about his recent activities, Mr. Pulliam replied with tongue in cheek that he had spent a “horrible two months, the months of January and February, in Miami, Florida singing a production of Pagliacci with the Florida Grand Opera” before coming to Lubbock.
He was also “with the Philadelphia Orchestra for Beethoven’s 9th”, and spent time in Houston, Texas, where he made his “debut with Houston Grand Opera and their concert of Giving Voice.”
Pulliam notes that he is “a lucky boy, to get to go and get paid to travel.” I would say that we are the lucky ones, to get see such a powerful tenor in action.
Mr. Pulliam attended Oberlin Conservatory with our very own Maestro David Cho, Conductor of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. This was the first time the pair had seen each other in over 25 years. Back in the 90’s, the pair performed many recitals together with Maestro Cho on piano, and Mr. Pulliam rattling the ceiling with his powerful tenor.
He definitely blew away those of us assembled at Caviel’s Museum with his “stentorian yet beautiful” rendering of “Nessun Dorma” or “No One Sleeps”. This song is a staple of operatic performance so it was not surprising that Mr. Pulliam sang it.
His second selection, “Give Me Jesus” was a bit more unexpected.
However, in a nearly 40-minute Q&A Session, when Mr. Pulliam informed us that he was a “P.K.” or preacher’s kid, who grew up in the Church, it all started making sense.
When asked how he came to Opera from singing in the church, Pulliam credits his high school choir teacher. One day, she asked him to stay after class. Something of joker, Pulliam was sure he was trouble. But instead of a lecture, his teacher handed him a cassette recording of Luciano Pavarotti’s “Una Furtiva Lagrima” (A Furtive Tear).
At the time, Pulliam didn’t even know what “opera” was, but his teacher felt confident he could learn the piece.
Pulliam humorously described how he sounded more like Mighty Mouse as he tried to mimic the sound on the tape, since that was the closest thing to opera he’d ever heard.
Flash forward many years, and that very same song helped Pulliam secure a place at the Oberlin Observatory.
Mr. Pulliam is hailed as one of the best to ever sing the role of “Otello”, Shakespeare's tragic African anti-hero.
During one of his answers, Pulliam explains how the isolation the character “Otello” feels is similar to the way he sometimes feels being a black man in the world of opera.
He also tells the amazing story of how he stopped singing for twelve years, but came back to opera after an extraordinary nudge from heaven pushed him back into the spotlight.
You can listen to the whole Q&A session below, and read our account of the stunning concert he and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra put on this past Saturday, 23 March.
Also, stay tuned because the City of Lubbock will soon publish a podcast featuring an an in-depth interview with Limmie Pulliam, as well as footage of his performances at the Museum of African American History.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Focus LBK to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.