Marilyn Horne Master Classes to be Live Streamed

Visit new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/listenlive to view the streams on Friday, February 22 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, February 24 at 2 p.m.

OBERLIN, OHIO — "Probably the greatest singer in the world" (Opera News), renowned mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne will be in residence at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as Distinguished Professor of Voice from February 22-24. While on campus she will teach private voice lessons and present two master classes that will be open to the public on Friday, February 22, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, February 24, at 2 p.m. Both events will be held in Finney Chapel and are free for Artist Recital Series subscribers. General admission tickets are $5. These classes will offer a unique opportunity for all to listen and learn as an operatic legend works one-on-one with some of Oberlin's most promising voice students.


Horne's five-decade long career in opera, concert, and recital has been celebrated throughout the world for the power and artistry of her unique and dazzling mezzo-soprano coloratura. She has also earned praise for her revival of many forgotten Rossini, Handel, Vivaldi, and Bellini operas.

"Marilyn Horne is an icon," says Dean of the Conservatory David H. Stull. "Her stature as a singer, secured by an astonishing performance career, is preserved not only by her discography but also by the legacy she has created as a teacher and mentor. We look forward to welcoming her back to Oberlin."


Horne's distinguished career has garnered her numerous honors, including 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, was inducted into the American Classical Music and Hollywood Bowl halls of fame, and was named a National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors recipient in 2009. In 2001, Horne received a President's Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.


Among her worldwide prizes are the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters from France's Ministry of Culture, Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, Fidelio Gold Medal from the International Association of Opera Directors, and Covent Garden Silver Medal for Outstanding Service. In an unprecedented move, Horne received Italy's first Rossini Medaglia d'Oro, created especially for her.


Horne has performed in more than 1,300 recitals, made well over 100 recordings, and received three Grammy Awards for several of her operatic recordings. She celebrated 26 years as a leading lady at the Metropolitan Opera, and in 1999 was honored at the San Francisco Opera for her 39 seasons there. Her many academic awards include numerous honorary doctorates from schools including the Juilliard School, Johns Hopkins University, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.


Currently, Horne is vocal program director at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. She has been a visiting professor at the Oberlin Conservatory for six years, and has led master classes around the country at the invitation of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Development Program, among others. With her 60th birthday gala at Carnegie Hall in 1994, she launched the Marilyn Horne Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to the art of the vocal recital in the United States.

The Distinguished Professorship of Voice is made possible with the support of the
Danenberg Residency Fund.


Fact sheet
Friday, February 22, 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 24, 2 p.m.

Marilyn Horne, master classes
Finney Chapel
90 North Professor Street
Oberlin, Ohio 44074

Tickets: Free for Artist Recital Series subscribers and for those with an Oberlin College I.D.

General admission tickets are $5. Tickets can be reserved and purchased by calling Oberlin's Central Ticket Service Box Office at 1-800-371-0178 or online at www.oberlin.edu/artsguide/artist-recital-series

About the Artist Recital Series at Oberlin College
Since the inception of the Artist Recital Series in 1878, more than 1,000 of the most acclaimed and accomplished musicians, conductors, orchestras, chamber ensembles, and composers have graced the stage of Finney Chapel at Oberlin College.

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College sponsors the Artist Recital Series with additional support from the Friends of the Artist Recital Series. Media sponsorship for the Artist Recital Series is provided by WCLV 104.9-FM, Cleveland's classical music radio station; WCPN ideastream; and 89.7 WKSU. Corporate sponsorship is provided by the Riverside Company.