Leviticus Lyon
Leviticus Lyon | |
|---|---|
 Leviticus Lyon (c. 1925), standing next to the piano | |
| Born | Leviticus Nelson Everell Lyon May 29, 1894 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | 1958 (aged 63–64) New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Leviticus N. E. Lyon |
| Occupation(s) | Tenor vocalist, stage director |
Leviticus Nelson Everell Lyon (1894–1958) was an American tenor vocalist, and stage director in New York City.
Life and career
Leviticus Nelson Everell Lyon was born on May 29, 1894, in San Francisco, California, and raised in Oakland.[1] His parents were Giraldo Gomez Lyon from Guinea-Bissau, West Africa; and Elizabeth Garland Lyon from Saint Kitts and Nevis, West Indies; he was Black.[1] As a child he performed at Old St. Peter's Episcopal Church in San Francisco.[2] Leviticus held many jobs as a teenager, including as a janitor assistant, and as an elevator operator at the United States Customs Service in San Francisco.[2]
In 1925–1926, Lyon was awarded a fellowship at Juilliard School in New York City.[2] In the 1930s he performed with The Harlem Sinfonietta.[3] He was able to sing in Italian, German, French, and English.[4][5]
In his late life he worked as stage director in Westchester County, New York.[6][7]
The Lyon, Leviticus, 1894–1958 papers can be found at the Archives at Yale, Yale University.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "Lyon, Leviticus, 1894-1958". Archives at Yale. Yale University. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Former SF Elevator Boy Comes Home Concert Star". San Francisco Examiner. August 16, 1925. p. 66. Retrieved July 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "In the WPA Days: The Harlem Sinfonietta". New York Amsterdam News. April 23, 1966. p. 48. Retrieved July 8, 2025 – via Newspaper.com.
- ^ "Leviticus puts German among dead languages". San Francisco Chronicle. May 20, 1917. p. 36. Retrieved July 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Music Notes". The New York Times. April 30, 1927. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Rehearse Westchester Revue". The New York Times. March 3, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Article clipped from The Reporter Dispatch". The Reporter Dispatch. November 14, 1964. p. 8. Retrieved July 8, 2025.