Kathleen Battle

Kathleen Deanna Battle is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances with major orchestras during the early and mid-1970s. She made her opera debut in 1975. Battle expanded her repertoire into lyric soprano and coloratura soprano roles during the 1980s and early 1990s, until her eventual dismissal from the Metropolitan Opera in 1994. She later has focused on recording and the concert stage. After a 22-year absence from the Met, Battle performed a concert of spirituals at the Metropolitan Opera House in November 2016, and again in May 2024.

13 August 1948

Born on the same birth day (13 August): Chuck Gilmur • Claire Cribbs • Dalma Gálfi • Fred Hill (American football) • Fred Stanley (baseball) • Gleb W. Derujinsky • Ivar Stukolkin • Jarrod Washburn • John Ireland (composer) • Kevin Plank • Peter Wright (journalist) • Rohinton Fali Nariman • Salomon Jadassohn • Samuel de Champlain • Sridevi • William Bernbach • William Wentworth • William Wotton

Born in the same month (August 1948): Barry Hay • Elizabeth Wilmshurst • Fred Hampton • Heather Reisman • Jean-Pierre Raffarin • Jim Carter (actor) • Ray Clemence • Sgt. Slaughter