Mary Cardwell Dawson was a prominent African-American musician and educator, best known for her pioneering efforts in the field of classical music and opera. Dawson was born Mary Lucinda Cardwell  on February 14, 1894, in Madison, North Carolina. 

She was seven years old when her family moved from North Carolina to a steel mill town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Cardwell family purchased a home in nearby Homestead, which launched the start of Dawson’s musical career. She sang in the church choir with her father and siblings. Her cousin Jester Hairston, also lived in the town later became a noted composer, arranger, singer, and appeared on the hit show “Amen.” Dawson received early training in classical voice including opera. At the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Dawson studied voice and piano. As a student, one of the first operas she saw at the Boston Opera House was “Aida,” a show set in Egypt that is centered on the Ethiopian princess, and didn’t feature any African American actors in the entire cast. 

Dawson earned music degrees from New England Conservatory of Music and Chicago Musical College. In 1927, she married electrician Walter Dawson and returned to Pittsburgh. There she established the Cardwell Dawson School of Music, offering classes including music theory, history, vocal, and instrumental lessons. She also established the Cardwell Dawson Choir, and the group performed at regional festivals and concerts held at venues like Carnegie Music Hall. 

Dawson’s years as the president of the National Association of Negro Musicians, a preservationist and advocacy group for Black American music, inspired her to form her own organization. 

In 1941, Dawson founded the National Negro Opera Company with the mission of providing opportunities for African American artists in the opera world during a time when they faced significant discrimination. The National Negro Opera Company played a role in allowing their skills to shine on a national stage. The company debuted it’s first show, “Aida” headlined by opera star La Julia Rhea during the annual National Association of Negro Musicians meeting in Pittsburg that August. 

Dawson soon moved to Washington, D.C., headquartering the company there while maintaining offices in Pittsburgh. Dawson and her colleagues formed active opera guilds in Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Pittsburgh and New Jersey. 

Between 1941 and 1961, the National Negro Opera Company produced around 110 performances, with a repertoire that included six operas and one oratorio, R. Nathaniel Dett’s “The Ordering of Moses.” Other featured works ranged from Carmen to Faust to La Traviata.

The company showcased its talents at prestigious venues such as the Civic Opera House in Chicago, Griffith Stadium in Washington and Madison Square Garden in New York. But the pinnacle of success for the company was performing at the Metropolitan Opera House, also in New York, in 1956. The production marked the first appearance of an opera written by a Black composer, Clarence Cameron White’s Ouanga, at the Met and the first time a Black company performed on its stage. But, the moment wasn’t without some barriers. The Met imposed several restrictions such as banning the company from using house staff and facilities like the box office. Instead of presenting a fully staged opera, the cast could only perform a static concert version as mandated by strict rules that barred outside companies from performing operas on the Met’s stage. Dawson didn’t let that stop her, she pushed the limits by costuming the company and incorporating dance. Among the noteworthy talent to perform with the company were Robert McFerrin Sr., the first Black man to sing with the Met, and the father of pop star Bobby McFerrin, Broadway star Napoleon Reed, and soprano Lillian Evanti. 

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Dawson to the National Music Committee. Dawson died a year later in 1962 of a heart attack. She was 68 years old. The company ceased operations following her death. 

In 2023, Dawson received a posthumous Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her efforts to provide opportunities for gifted African American performers and challenge systemic racism.

Throughout her illustrious career, Dawson encountered many obstacles stemming from racial segregation and financial constraints. Breaking barriers as a pioneering trailblazer and paving the way for those who would follow, Mary Cardwell Dawson’s visionary contributions will forever continue to inspire generations.