Mary Cardwell Dawson - Founder of the National Negro Opera Company

Mary Lucinda Cardwell was born on Valentine's Day 1893 in Madison, MC, where she lived until the age of seven when the family moved to Munhall, PA. (Pittsburgh). Mary's musical talent was recognized by family and church members, and she was encouraged to enroll in the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, where she was the only African American in her class. To finance her education Mary took a job cleaning a dentist's office and in 1925, at age 31, she graduated with degrees in both voice and piano from the New England Conservatory of Music. She continued her studies in New York and Chicago. 

When the barrier of skin color derailed her dream of continuing a career as an opera singer, Mary Cardwell Dawson returned home to Pittsburgh, formed the Dawson School of Music, and opened a rehearsal space above her husband's electrical service shop on Frankstown Road in East Liberty. From this space, Mary and her integrated staff gave music lessons. One of her most accomplished students was Ahmad Jamal, a jazz pianist, band leader, composer, and educator. 

Madame Dawsomo directed a choir of 500 singers, forming the nationally known and award-winning Cardwell Dawson Choir which performed at both the New York and Chicago World Fairs. This led to the formation of the National Negro Opera Company, (NNOC) in 1941. The NNOC would perform many operas for 21 years, including the fabulous "AIDA" at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, PA. The NNOC expanded far beyond its East Pittsburgh roots into Washington, D>C>, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Detroit Red Bank, and Newark, New Jersey. 

Madame Dawson would perform only for integrated audiences and pair her performers with union wages. Before Mary Cardwell entrance onto this stage, most Black Opera Companies were led by white men. The National Negro Opera Company was the FIRST of its kind to be founded, owned, and operated by a woman. By the nature of her gender and her ethnicity, Madame Dawson created history. 

President Kennedy appointed Madame Dawson to the National Music Committee in 1961, one year before her death. The Pittsburgh Opera Company will perform "The Passion of Mary Caldwell Dawson," in the spring of 2024 which celebrates the remarkable founder of Pittsburgh's historic, groundbreaking NNOC. 

Jonnet Solomon is the Executive Director of the National Opera House. In 2000, the mansion at 7101 Apple Street Pittsburgh, PA in spired Ms. Solomon and Ms. White (co-founder & friend) to purchase the property and educate the world about its rich history.