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Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987
1978-07-26 Article: Black Acclaimed At Wagner Fest""
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BAYREEUTH, West Germany- Simon Estes, the great-newphew of a Davenport woman, won thunderous acclaim Tuesday night in "The Flying Dutchman" opening the 1978 Bayreuth Festival. The Centerville, Iowa, native who rose from poverty to become a world renowned opera singer, was the first black man to sing a lead role at the shrine of Wagnerian opera. The 40-year-old bass-baritone recieved booming applause from a capacity croud of 2,000 at the Bavarian opera house. Estes' great aunt Cecile Cooper, 225 W. 14th St., said Tuesday that Estes will make two appearances in Iowa City, Iowa, in December. Estes attended the University of Iowa. "Simon is very religious. He always said that God gave him his talent" Mrs. Cooper said. "He still remembers the hard times. His dad was a coal miner, and they were poorer than poor. I hope he never forgets that because I don't want him to get too big for his boots. But I don't think that will happen," Mrs. Cooper said. The West German audience Tuesday was divided in its reaction to the tradition-shattering production of East German director Harry Kupfer and American conductor Dennis Russell Davies, cheering and booing for 20 minutes when the curtain dropped. Estes portrayed the "Hollander" dressed as a slave in chains, transforming the ships crew at one point into a bourgeois gang dressed in top hats. Kupfer's production, which he premiered at the Dresden State Opera, was presented without intermissions. Ali Ebert
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BAYREEUTH, West Germany- Simon Estes, the great-newphew of a Davenport woman, won thunderous acclaim Tuesday night in "The Flying Dutchman" opening the 1978 Bayreuth Festival. The Centerville, Iowa, native who rose from poverty to become a world renowned opera singer, was the first black man to sing a lead role at the shrine of Wagnerian opera. The 40-year-old bass-baritone recieved booming applause from a capacity croud of 2,000 at the Bavarian opera house. Estes' great aunt Cecile Cooper, 225 W. 14th St., said Tuesday that Estes will make two appearances in Iowa City, Iowa, in December. Estes attended the University of Iowa. "Simon is very religious. He always said that God gave him his talent" Mrs. Cooper said. "He still remembers the hard times. His dad was a coal miner, and they were poorer than poor. I hope he never forgets that because I don't want him to get too big for his boots. But I don't think that will happen," Mrs. Cooper said. The West German audience Tuesday was divided in its reaction to the tradition-shattering production of East German director Harry Kupfer and American conductor Dennis Russell Davies, cheering and booing for 20 minutes when the curtain dropped. Estes portrayed the "Hollander" dressed as a slave in chains, transforming the ships crew at one point into a bourgeois gang dressed in top hats. Kupfer's production, which he premiered at the Dresden State Opera, was presented without intermissions. Ali Ebert
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