Perhaps one of the most significant singers you’ve never heard of, Roland Hayes (1887–1977) was the first internationally renowned African American singer, performing before European royalty years before ground-breaking artists like Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson found fame. Hayes, a son of slaves, settled in the Boston area after becoming the first African American soloist to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Playwright Daniel Beaty and actor/singer Elijah Rock (pictured) bring Hayes’ story to life live on stage in Breath & Imagination (refer to listing, page 16) at the Paramount Center beginning January 27. In this award-winning show, an older Hayes reflects on his struggles and successes as he contemplates closing the music school he opened on the Georgia plantation where his mother was once a slave.