Bruce Hubbard

Although he died at the early age of 39, the African American baritone Bruce Hubbard had already packed a large amount into his career as a performer. Born in 1952 in Indianapolis, Hubbard was blessed with a deep, sonorous voice and immaculate diction. He was initially drawn to music theatre, gleaning early Broadway experience in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Bernstein’s musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Hubbard’s immaculately schooled baritone translated seamlessly to the recording studio, where he participated in two award-winning projects—conductor John McGlinn’s definitive 1987 recording of Jerome Kern’s Show Boat, and Simon Rattle’s classic Porgy and Bess from a year later. Jake in Porgy was a signature role for Hubbard, and he sang it at both the Metropolitan Opera and the Glyndebourne Festival in England. A year before he died in 1991, Hubbard released For You, For Me, his only solo album. Its strong, sensitive performances of works by Copland, Gershwin and others stand as a fitting memorial to his generous, warmly communicative talent.