Porgy and Bess

[ pawr-gee uhn bes ]

noun

1. an opera (1935) with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

Porgy and Bess

1. An opera with music by George Gershwin . It depicts life in the African-American community of Charleston , South Carolina . Porgy is a handicapped beggar who protects Bess, only to have her leave town with a rival. The songs “ Summertime ” and “It Ain't Necessarily So” are from Porgy and Bess .

Example Sentences

She won a Grammy for her recording of Gershwin’s Porgy And Bess in 2020; and hit headlines in 2022 after pulling out of a performance at Italy’s Arena di Verona in protest at the venue’s use of blackface make-up in a production of Verdi’s Aida.

From BBC

In 2012, Simons co-produced a revival of “Porgy and Bess” starring Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis that earned him his first Tony.

From Los Angeles Times

Williams will sing “My Man’s Gone Now,” Serena’s aria from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” with which she made an unforgettable impression in 2018.

From Seattle Times

For the 2021-2022 season, “Blue,” an opera about police violence, and the classic “Porgy and Bess” were among the top five operas produced in North America, according to the 2023 Annual Field Report created by Opera America, an industry umbrella organization.

From Seattle Times

Trained at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and later at the Juilliard School in New York City, Ms. Fernandez made her mark in the 1970s as Bess in the Houston Grand Opera’s international traveling production of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

From New York Times