Barbara Smith Conrad: The Diva Rises In "When I Rise"

Legendary soprano Barbara Smith Conrad was in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night for a viewing of the documentary based on her life "When I Rise." Inlet photo is of Smith Conrad in "Aida."Even before she became an accomplished singer, even when she was a young woman and legendary entertainer Harry Belafonte said he could still see the "country" in the girl from Center Point, Texas, opera singer Barbara Smith Conrad was a diva in the truest sense of the word. In the way the word was initially meant to be used -- she is an international opera star.

There always had a regality about her. Even as a young woman. Her poise and maturity were what drew people to her. Her charm and the beauty of her talent drew them in.

That charm, regality and poise was in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, where Smith Conrad was honored at a viewing of a documentary based on her life called "When I Rise" at the National Archives on Pennsylvania Ave.

More after the jump.

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