Marilyn Horne to lead Vocal Masterclass July 28
For Immediate Release July 4, 2007
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Renowned mezzo-soprano's popular classes blend instruction and performance
Santa Barbara, CA- Celebrated mezzo-soprano and Academy Voice Program Director Marilyn Horne will lead a vocal masterclass at 3 pm Saturday, July 28, in Santa Barbara's Lobero Theatre. Tickets will cost $29.
Ms. Horne, who at her peak possessed a voice of ineffable incandescence, infuses her masterclasses with the same intensity that marked her distinguished career as a performer. Continuing in the tradition of Music Academy cofounder and legendary German soprano Lotte Lehmann, who was renowned for her masterclasses, Ms. Horne charismatically guides and instructs young singers, in effect offering a private lesson in public and drawing on her astonishing gifts as both a teacher and a performer in equal measure. "What impresses most about [Ms.] Horne's teaching technique is her ability to focus on detail ... and never lose sight of the color, atmosphere, and emotional dynamics of a song" (musicalamerica.com).
Ms. Horne, who is celebrating her 10th year directing the Academy Voice Program, has been a dominant figure in the singing world for more than four decades. In 2002, Opera News declared, "Marilyn Horne - whose face and song have been in the light - in so many places, in so many styles, through so many media, for so many years - may be the most influential singer in American history." Her numerous honors include a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Gramophone magazine. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1995, received the National Medal of Arts in 1992, and was inducted into the American Classical Music and Hollywood Bowl halls of fame. Among her worldwide prizes are the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters from France's Ministry of Culture, the Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, the Fidelio Gold Medal from the International Association of Opera Directors, and the Covent Garden Silver Medal for Outstanding Service. In an unprecedented development, Ms. Horne received Italy's first Rossini Medaglia d'Oro, created especially for her.
Ms. Horne has performed in more than 1,300 recitals and made well over 100 recordings. Her most recent release, Marilyn Horne - Just for the Record: The Golden Voice, is a retrospective of her career and includes classical songs, opera, and American standards. All Through the Night, an album of lullabies from around the world, and O Holy Night: Christmas with Marilyn Horne and the Morman Tabernacle Choir were re-released in 2005. Her autobiography, Marilyn Horne: The Song Continues, written with Jane Scovell, was published in 2004. Ms. Horne has been a visiting professor at the University of Oklahoma for eight years, and this past academic year was in residence at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the University of Maryland at College Park. With her 60th birthday gala at Carnegie Hall in 1994, Ms. Horne launched the Marilyn Horne Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to the art of the vocal recital in the United States. She has been a member of the Music Academy faculty since 1995.
The Music Academy of the West is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an unprecedented 2007 season program featuring numerous classical music luminaries. Highlights include an ambitious production of La Bohème, performances by violinist Gilles Apap, baritone Thomas Hampson, and the Takács Quartet, and conducting turns by Jeffrey Tate and Alexander Lazarev.
For tickets and information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and students receive full scholarships. Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many have established themselves as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 175 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and students; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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