DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987 | 1986-10-11 ""Opera's Estes comes home to aid Iowa arts"" Page 1

Transcribe
Translate

Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987

1986-10-11 ""Opera's Estes comes home to aid Iowa arts"" Page 1

Opera's Estes comes home to aid Iowa arts
DMR 10/11/86

By JOAN BUNKE
Register Staff Writer

Simon Estes, internationally famous bass-baritone and Centerville native, is back in Iowa for a concert to raise money for Iowa arts scholarships, sounding a theme of "loving, caring and sharing."
Friday morning, he received in return a surprise gift of son, what he called a beautiful "triple whammy," from three Des Moines children's groups who sang for him in the Model City Community Center.
"I was so moved," Estes said in an interview. "I really had to fight back tears ... All of the times that I have given master classes and sung for children, there's never been a group of children that ever sang for me, and that was a beautiful surprise -- and the children, they really moved me very, very much. And I'm very happy that was the first time that happened in Iowa."
Special Gift
The children, pupils of Rice, Monroe and Eduminds schools, sang as part of "a special gift from the young people of Iowa," said Wayne Ford, the center's supervisor.
It was a special moment for an artist who at age 48 is at the peak of an international career. He's whittled down his heavy schedule of performances booked into 1990-91 to focus on "improving performing quality, on his family (Swiss-born Yvonne Baer Estes and their two daughters Jennifer, 3, and Lynne, 19 months) and on his increasing interest in helping disadvantaged children. Explaining his motivation, Estes Said. "I really love people and I love children. ... The children are our future."
He added, still moved by the surprise concert that included the children's piping voices in a rendition of "Good Morning to You""
"I said to my wife... 'I could really be happy if I could just go around and sing concerts to raise money for children and talk to children.'"
Concert Tonight
Tonight at 8, though, Estes is singing the "Simon Estes Concert for Iowa" at the Civic Center. The concert aims at raising $100,000 endowment to establish scholarships for Iowa college-bound Students to pursue careers in music, dance, theater, writing, art or other arts areas. Estes is donating his customary $30,000 performance fee to the fund, and admission tickets and patron donations are to be added toward the goal.
"I think there is a greater  need right now for financial assistance" than there has been in the past, said Estes, who himself received "one or two small scholarship funds" while studying at the University of Iowa in the 1960s, but who largely worked his way through school.
The fund will be administered by the Iowa Arts Council, and Estes sees it largely as aid to students who attended Iowa colleges and universities.
Estes said he would like students who receive the scholarships to be "of good character."
"I don't want anybody involved with drugs hoping to receive a scholarship, because drugs are so detrimental; I think they're really destroying our country," he said.
Estes, who lives with his family in rural New Jersey and Zurich, Switzerland, says he also has another aid-to-the-young project in the works. It's a recording of popular songs, "not rock 'n' roll" but romantic ballad and upbeat-tempo songs, centering on Denise Rich's "Save the Children, Save Their Lives." Part of the proceeds will go to the Save the Children Federation in this country, he said, and part to the Europe-based Simon Estes International  Children's Fund.
"I've always been interested in children," Estes said, "but I think that since I have children of my own ... it's motivated me even more because I feel tremendously blessed. ... I am a religious person; I'm deeply grateful to God for the talent of singing that he gave me. But I think the greatest gift of all he gave to me was the gift of love. ... And love simply means sharing and helping and caring."
Trimming Schedule
Talking about cutting back his heavy performing schedule, Estes spoke of his cancellation last spring of plans to sing the title role in Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" with the University of Iowa Opera Theatre.
"I've never been so sad to cancel a performance in my life," he said. "I was just devastated, but it was a medical choice. The doctor said I was suffering from total physical exhaustion. I had no vacation in more than 15 years. Now that's not very wise at all.
I took off two months, and I must say they were the greatest two months I've probably had in my life, for a new self-awakening, to realize that we do have limitations, that we can only do so much. ... It was a costly lesson, but I've turned it into something positive."
On another subject, Estes was asked about a 1982 New York Times article in which he spoke out against what he saw as opera's lack then of opportunities for male singers.

The situation has changed, he said, "and it has changed for the better. ... A big change came as a result of the 'Porgy and Bess' that was performed at the Met ... and one of the requests or stipulations I had when they asked me to [sing Porgy] was that if they were going to bring in these [black] male singers to do these [other 'Porgy and Bess'] roles, if they were going to treat it ... as 'real grand opera,' then they should give them some other roles. And they have done this. ... They brought in probably five or six other male singers and I'm hoping that other opera houses in this country will do that," too.
But, he added, "there's still a drought in general in black participation in the administrative level of opera houses and symphonic orchestras in this country and also in terms of journalism, critics, and conductors, stage directors and costume makers, there's practically none. There still is room obviously for improvement, but in the singing aspect, there have been great strides made."

pg. 2 (of 2)

Saving...

Opera's Estes comes home to aid Iowa arts DMR 10/11/86 By JOAN BUNKE Register Staff Writer Simon Estes, internationally famous bass-baritone and Centerville native, is back in Iowa for a concert to raise money for Iowa arts scholarships, sounding a theme of "loving, caring and sharing." Friday morning, he received in return a surprise gift of son, what he called a beautiful "triple whammy," from three Des Moines children's groups who sang for him in the Model City Community Center. "I was so moved," Estes said in an interview. "I really had to fight back tears ... All of the times that I have given master classes and sung for children, there's never been a group of children that ever sang for me, and that was a beautiful surprise -- and the children, they really moved me very, very much. And I'm very happy that was the first time that happened in Iowa." Special Gift The children, pupils of Rice, Monroe and Eduminds schools, sang as part of "a special gift from the young people of Iowa," said Wayne Ford, the center's supervisor. It was a special moment for an artist who at age 48 is at the peak of an international career. He's whittled down his heavy schedule of performances booked into 1990-91 to focus on "improving performing quality, on his family (Swiss-born Yvonne Baer Estes and their two daughters Jennifer, 3, and Lynne, 19 months) and on his increasing interest in helping disadvantaged children. Explaining his motivation, Estes Said. "I really love people and I love children. ... The children are our future." He added, still moved by the surprise concert that included the children's piping voices in a rendition of "Good Morning to You"" "I said to my wife... 'I could really be happy if I could just go around and sing concerts to raise money for children and talk to children.'" Concert Tonight Tonight at 8, though, Estes is singing the "Simon Estes Concert for Iowa" at the Civic Center. The concert aims at raising $100,000 endowment to establish scholarships for Iowa college-bound Students to pursue careers in music, dance, theater, writing, art or other arts areas. Estes is donating his customary $30,000 performance fee to the fund, and admission tickets and patron donations are to be added toward the goal. "I think there is a greater need right now for financial assistance" than there has been in the past, said Estes, who himself received "one or two small scholarship funds" while studying at the University of Iowa in the 1960s, but who largely worked his way through school. The fund will be administered by the Iowa Arts Council, and Estes sees it largely as aid to students who attended Iowa colleges and universities. Estes said he would like students who receive the scholarships to be "of good character." "I don't want anybody involved with drugs hoping to receive a scholarship, because drugs are so detrimental; I think they're really destroying our country," he said. Estes, who lives with his family in rural New Jersey and Zurich, Switzerland, says he also has another aid-to-the-young project in the works. It's a recording of popular songs, "not rock 'n' roll" but romantic ballad and upbeat-tempo songs, centering on Denise Rich's "Save the Children, Save Their Lives." Part of the proceeds will go to the Save the Children Federation in this country, he said, and part to the Europe-based Simon Estes International Children's Fund. "I've always been interested in children," Estes said, "but I think that since I have children of my own ... it's motivated me even more because I feel tremendously blessed. ... I am a religious person; I'm deeply grateful to God for the talent of singing that he gave me. But I think the greatest gift of all he gave to me was the gift of love. ... And love simply means sharing and helping and caring." Trimming Schedule Talking about cutting back his heavy performing schedule, Estes spoke of his cancellation last spring of plans to sing the title role in Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" with the University of Iowa Opera Theatre. "I've never been so sad to cancel a performance in my life," he said. "I was just devastated, but it was a medical choice. The doctor said I was suffering from total physical exhaustion. I had no vacation in more than 15 years. Now that's not very wise at all. I took off two months, and I must say they were the greatest two months I've probably had in my life, for a new self-awakening, to realize that we do have limitations, that we can only do so much. ... It was a costly lesson, but I've turned it into something positive." On another subject, Estes was asked about a 1982 New York Times article in which he spoke out against what he saw as opera's lack then of opportunities for male singers. The situation has changed, he said, "and it has changed for the better. ... A big change came as a result of the 'Porgy and Bess' that was performed at the Met ... and one of the requests or stipulations I had when they asked me to [sing Porgy] was that if they were going to bring in these [black] male singers to do these [other 'Porgy and Bess'] roles, if they were going to treat it ... as 'real grand opera,' then they should give them some other roles. And they have done this. ... They brought in probably five or six other male singers and I'm hoping that other opera houses in this country will do that," too. But, he added, "there's still a drought in general in black participation in the administrative level of opera houses and symphonic orchestras in this country and also in terms of journalism, critics, and conductors, stage directors and costume makers, there's practically none. There still is room obviously for improvement, but in the singing aspect, there have been great strides made." pg. 2 (of 2)