An Evening with Maya Angelou at Boston Opera House

The Unique Lives and Experiences 2007 Maya Angelou Tour comes to the Boston Opera House on Thursday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m.  The world renowned Dr. Angelou is visiting Boston as part of a nine-city journey to share her inspirational message of hope, courage and survival.

Maya Angelou has been hailed as one of the greatest speakers of our time, but she wears about a dozen hats and wears them all well.  As author and poet, she has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, while her songwriting has garnered three Grammy Awards.  She was nominated for a Tony award for her Broadway acting debut in Look Away (1973) and an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in Alex Haley's Roots (1977).  The first black woman director in Hollywood, Dr. Angelou has also produced several prize-winning documentaries and received the Golden Eagle Award for a PBS special Afro-Americans in the Arts.

Dr. Angelou's wide range of accomplishments and intellectual interests justify describing her as a Renaissance woman.  She is an historian, educator, playwright, dancer, producer, director, and civil rights activist.  Among the titles of her autobiographical books are I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) and All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986).  Poetry volumes include Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Die (1971), Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993), and A Brave and Startling Truth (1995).

In 1959, Dr. Martin Luther King requested that Maya become the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  She was associate editor of The Arab Observer in Cairo, Egypt, from 1961-1962, and feature editor of the African Review in Accra, Ghana, from 1964-1966.  She is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and West African Fanti.

After returning to the United States in 1974, Dr. Angelou was appointed by President Gerald R. Ford to the Bicentennial Commission.  President Jimmy Carter named her to the Commission for International Woman of the Year and in 1981 she accepted a lifetime appointment as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.  In 1993 she recited On the Pulse of the Morning at the inauguration of President William J. Clinton, only the second poet in American history to be featured at the quadrennial event.

Maya Angelou returns to the city where Mayor Thomas Menino proclaimed a day to honor her in February, 2004, following her speech to a sold-out house at Symphony Hall.  She does not merely speak; she mesmerizes and captivates her audience with her voice and movements, as well as with her words.  Her message transcends race and class, and inspires, comforts, encourages, and, ultimately, charms all.

Dr. Maya Angelou at the Boston Opera House, Thursday, May 31, 2007 @ 7:30 p.m.  Tickets $29.95 - $79.95 and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster 617-931-2787 or www.ticketmaster.com Groups of ten+ receive 10% discount by calling 866-633-0194

 

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