Marilyn Horne Honored As Part Of Multi-Million Dollar Campaign

Mezzo del Giorno: A portrait of Marilyn Horne
from the early days of her singing career.

"The Music Academy of the West has announced its Finale Capital Campaign with a visionary goal to raise $17.5 million for two significant construction projects to renovate and improve its historic campus. The Campaign also includes funding for an instrument fund that will establish the Academy’s All-Steinway institution status and a maintenance endowment. 100% of the Academy’s Board members have participated in the Campaign, joined by support from individuals and foundations in the Santa Barbara community. $11.7 million has been raised to date to begin the renovation in August 2015; the remaining goal is $5.8 million. The historic Main House on the Miraflores campus has been named for legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne with a gift of $6 million, through a $3 million matching gift challenge from long-time Academy benefactors Shirley and Seymour Lehrer. Music Academy President and CEO Scott Reed said, 'Our Campaign completes a long-term strategy to fully preserve, renovate, and expand our campus to guarantee we have world-class facilities. Our fellows arrive in Santa Barbara each summer from around the world to share their talent with us and further their artistry with our distinguished faculty. Enhancing our buildings will provide the best possible experience for our guests and our community.' The Finale campaign will support the final phase of a long-term campus renovation and construction master plan envisioned 15 years ago. The improvement of the Marilyn Horne Main House is Part One of the Finale project, with a groundbreaking in August 2015. The scope of the project includes

Leontyne Price Boulevard Named In Mississippi To Honor Singer

"The City of Laurel has renamed one of their main roads after an opera singer. City council approved the change and Beacon Street is now Leontyne Price Boulevard. The street is named after a Laurel native who is known to be one of the first African-Americans to gain international acclaim as a professional opera singer. Mayor Johnny Magee said the street signs have not been changed yet, but will be in the next few months. He said residents who live on the road will have to change their street address name. 'Beacon Street is going to be a major thoroughfare in Laurel after the completion,' Magee said. 'We felt like it would be a great addition to put the name of Leontyne Price on Beacon Street because of all the notoriety that she brings to Laurel.' Mayor Magee said the unveiling of the renamed road will be held as soon as Price can make her way down to Laurel." [Source]

Renée Fleming Honored By Daughter's Alma Mater Harvard

Talented Offspring: Amelia Ross, daughter of Renée Fleming,
is a Harvard University alumni and singer as well.

"One of the most acclaimed opera singers and sopranos of all time, Renée Fleming sang 'America the Beautiful' at Harvard's 364th Commencement on May 28, 2015 at Tercentenary Theatre." The star also received an honorary Doctorate of Music from the prestigious University. It also happens to be where her eldest daughter Amelia Ross attended college. As a graduate of the 2014 class, Ms. Ross has experience as Treasurer of the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Performers as well as a Tanglewood Office Associate for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She also speaks German and French. Watch videos of the young singer performing during her time at Harvard, in the title role of Massenet's Cendrillon and in Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore, after the jump. [Source]

Back row from left: Robert Axelrod, Wallace S. Broecker, Denis Mukwege, Patricia A. Graham, Linda B. Buck, Bryan Stevenson, and Peter Salovey. Front row from left: Alan Garber, Renée Fleming, President Drew Faust, Deval L. Patrick, and Svetlana L. Alpers (Photo: Harvard Magazine/JC)

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Barbara Hendricks To Give Speech And Get Honorary Degree At UNL

Barbara Hendricks seen here in her groundbreaking portrayal of Mimì for the
1988 film version of Puccini's La Bohème directed by Luigi Comencini.

"Spring semester commencement exercises at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are set for May 8-9. Graduate and professional degrees will be awarded May 8 at 3 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Commencement for students earning bachelor's degrees is May 9 at 9:30 a.m., also at the arena. Opera singer and UNL alumna Barbara Hendricks will give the undergraduate commencement address and receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree. Born in Arkansas, Hendricks received a bachelor of science degree from UNL and later studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. In 1974, she made her operatic debut at the San Francisco Opera and the Glyndebourne Festival as well as her recital debut in New York City's Town Hall. Hendricks has sung at the Paris Opera, the MET in New York, Covent Garden in London and La Scala in Milano. Hendricks made her jazz debut at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1994 and has since performed regularly in jazz festivals throughout the world. She starred as Mimi in the 1988 film La Boheme and played The Angel in Peter Eotvos' opera Angels in America in 2004 in Paris." [Source]

Thomas Hampson Bestowed With Honorary Doctorate

Hampson receiving honor in Boston 
(Photo: Andrew Hurlbut)

"Baritone Thomas Hampson, recently honored as a Metropolitan Opera Guild 'Met Mastersinger,' will receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from New England Conservatory,in a ceremony presided over by President Tony Woodcock that takes place during a masterclass Hampson will lead for voice and opera students at 2 pm in NEC’s Brown Hall. The event marks Hampson’s second visit to NEC, the baritone having previously directed a Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Masterclass in April 2013." The event took place on January 18, 2015. "Born in Elkhart, Indiana, Hampson grew up in Spokane, Washington, where he enrolled at Eastern Washington State College (now Eastern Washington University) in Cheney, majoring in political science/government. Concurrently, Hampson earned a BFA in Voice Performance at Fort Wright College under the tutelage of Sister Marietta Coyle. During the summers of 1978 and 1979, he studied under Gwendolyn Koldowsky and Martial Singher at the Music Academy of the West, where he won the Lotte Lehmann Award. He then continued his studies at the University of Southern California, where he worked with vocal coach Jack Metz and the baritone Horst Gunther, a lifelong mentor. In 1980, as a consequence of winning the San Francisco Opera audition, he completed in the Merola Opera Program, in which he met Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. In 1981, he was one of the winners in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions national finals." [Source, Source]

Deborah Voigt Recognized By Casita Maria Center For Arts

Honoree Deborah Voigt is seen at far right.

"Casita Maria Center honored Deborah Voigt for her outstanding contributions to music at its Musicale benefit on Tuesday, May 13th at 6:00 pm at the home of Maria Eugenia and William Haseltine in Manhattan. The Musicale featured performances by the acclaimed pianist Alexander Romanovsky and the students of the Casita Maria Music Program. The proceeds from the Musicale will benefit Casita Maria’s Music Program, founded by Gaetana Enders, a board member of the organization." [Source] Also check out a video of Ms. Voigt, performing with soprano Kristin Chenoweth for "The Evolution of the Soprano" at Carnegie Hall that took place on May 3, 2014, after the jump.

Opera Index To Honor Mezzo-Soprano Rosalind Elias

"On Sunday, January 12, 2014, Opera Index will presents its 35th Distinguished Achievement Award to mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias, described as one of the finest singing actresses of our time, at its Winter Gala in the Grand Salon of the JW Marriott Essex House, 160 Central Park South, beginning at 6 p.m. with a reception in the Petit Salon. The three-time Grammy and two-time Emmy Award-winning artist made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1954 and over her half-century-long career, has sung more than 50 roles. Ken Benson, renowned artists manager and longtime Opera Index supporter, will present the award to Ms. Elias." [Source]

Renée Fleming Receives National Medal of Arts From President Obama

Seems as though the soprano cracks up the commander-in-chief while receiving her honor. For a complete list of honorees go to the official White House website by clicking here. Look at more pictures of the ceremony and watch the video (Ms. Fleming comes on at 14:09...) after the jump.

Absent Salvatore Licitra Will Be Made Honorary Citizen

Although tenor Sal­vatore Licitra was born in Switzer­land and grew up in Milan, his family is originally from Acate which is a small town in the south of Sicily. With the ill tenor still in a coma from his accident, the family has given their blessing for Mayor Giovanni Caruso to bestow him with honorary citizenship to Acate. The city council met in an emergency meeting at the castle of the Prince of Biscari to arrange the ceremony that will take place on September 5.

 "Il Consiglio comunale di Acate si riunirà domenica 5 settembre alle 19,30, al Castello dei Principi di Biscari, in seduta straordinaria, per il conferimento della cittadinanza onoraria al tenore Salvatore Licitra. L'artista si trova ricoverato da domenica scorsa in gravi condizioni all'ospedale «Garibaldi» di Catania, dopo il drammatico incidente in scooter di sabato scorso a Donnalucata, frazione di Scicli. Ma in queste ore i familiari, sia pure provati, hanno dato il proprio assenso al sindaco Giovanni Caruso, allo svolgimento della cerimonia." [Source]