Distinguished Tenor Roderick George, Alabama Native, Featured in Opera’s ‘Greatest Hits’

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times For distinguished tenor Roderick George, Ph.D., who has traveled the world, there’s no place like home. George has performed a wide-ranging concert and operatic repertoire throughout the United States and abroad, and now he will be featured in “Opera Unveiled: A Concert of Greatest Hits.” The show, which will include the Opera Birmingham Chorus, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and several other artists, will be held at the Dorothy Jemison Day Theater at the Alabama School of Fine Arts on Friday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 28, at 2:30 p.m. “It’s nice to sing at home,” said George. “I don’t get to sing at home a lot. Much of the singing I do is in other places.” Speaking of home, that’s where George got his musical start—unsurprisingly, in the Black church. As a member of Mount Calvary Primitive Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, George grew up in church, singing in the choir and playing piano. “I had a church job throughout high school, as well. My parents were heavily involved in the church. I was raised in church. We were always at church. My dad was a deacon, and he was...