Florence Cole Talbert-McCleave (born Florence Cole, June 17, 1890 – April 3, 1961), also known as Madame Florence Cole-Talbert, was an American operatic soprano, music educator, and musician. Called "The First Lady in Grand Opera" by the National Negro Opera Guild, she was one of the first African American women and black opera artists performing abroad who received success and critical acclaim in classical and operatic music in the 20th century. Through her career as a singer, a music educator, and an active member of the National Association of Negro Musicians, she became a legendary figure within the African American music community, also earning the titles of "Queen of the Concert Stage" and "Our Divine Florence." Most notably, she is credited with being the first African American woman to play the titular role of Verdi's Aida in a European staging of the opera. Talbert was also one of the first African-American classical artists to record commercially. After retirement, Talbert became a music educator. She taught in historically black colleges and universities such as Fisk University, Tuskegee University, and Rust College. Notably, she is credited with encouraging Marion Anderson, one of the most celebrated opera singers of the 20th century, to pursue a career in classical music. During this time, she also composed the words to Delta Sigma Theta's official hymn. Talbert died in Memphis at the age of 70. Although she did not receive the same fame as black female artists who came after her, such as Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price, her work in the 1910s and 1920s was instrumental in paving a path for black musicians in the classical world. Early life and training Florence Cole was born on June 17, 1890, in Detroit, Michigan, to a family with deep roots in music and the performing arts. Her mother, Sadie Chandler Cole, was a mezzo-soprano and civil rights activist, who had gained considerable recognition as a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Her father was a basso and was well known as a dramatic reader. In an interview in 1930, Talbert further revealed that her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Hatfield Chandler, was a patron of music who had founded the first "colored" Baptist choir in Cincinnati, Ohio. Florence began her musical training as a pianist when she was six years old. This training continued even when her family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1898, when she was eight