I Paved the Way for Real Divas

Paved the Way for Real Divas: Selected Classical Singers, Composers & Pianists is an exploratory work aimed at junior high and high school students introducing them to the underrepresented female artists in classical music. The book highlights 35 Black women globally and is divided into three sections: Part I: Singers, Part II: Pianists, and Part III: Composers. In addition, the book needs to be arranged alphabetically. However, the order is facilitated by the date of birth so that the reading audience can visually see which artist came first. Also included in this work are "Selected Music Programs" for study, "Selected Opera Houses," and a bibliography. Arthur Petersen, born in New York City, was reared by his grandparents, Edna Thomas Petersen and Pierpont Alexander Petersen, in Christiansted, Virgin Islands (VI). A product of the VI Public Schools, he graduated from Saint Croix Central High School in 1989. Moreover, Petersen received an undergraduate degree from Clinton College in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and has worked at Lew Muckle Elementary School in Sion Farm for 20 years. He has traveled to the Republic of Cuba, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Portuguese Republic, and Spain, and extensively throughout the eastern corridor of the United States. Petersen is the author of Quiet Quotes in 4 Seasons. His work has also appeared in Second Coming or Second Trade-off: Contemporary & Relevant Literature during the Pandemic.