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Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987
1985-03-03 ""Simon Estes in Iowa opera""
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[[photo caption]]Simon Estes[[end caption]] Simon Estes in Iowa Opera Metropolitan Opera star Simon Estes will return to his alma mater, the University of Iowa, to perform the title role in Moussorgsky's "Boris Gudonov" in 1986. Estes is on the crest of unprecedented attention in the opera world, having just opened in the Metropolitan Opera's first production of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess." With Estes and Grace Bumbry in the leads, "Porgy's" opening was anticipated by record-setting ticket sales. The new Met production sold out 16 performances before its debut. The historic SUI performances of "Boris Gudonov" are scheduled for April 25-27, 1986, as part of the Iowa Center for the Arts 50th anniversary celebration. Estes will perform the lead in the masterpiece with the university's Opera Theater and Symphony Orchestra. He will be in residence at Iowa for two weeks, giving master classes in addition to preparing for three performances. The part of Boris, the tormented Russian czar, is one of Estes most celebrated triumphs and will mark the first time the Centerville, Iowa, native will have performed a full operatic role in the state. "This will be a rare chance to hear Simon perform in America one of the roles he is famous for in Europe," said Beaumont Glass, opera theater director. "Boris" is the most widely acclaimed Russian opera and is Mussorgsky's crowning achievement as a champion of Russian national music. He derived the libretto from a play by the Russian poet Pushkin. The opera deals with the fascinating legend of one of the most powerful figures in Russian history whose consuming ambition led him to commit a crime that haunted him to his death. Estes has had an almost story-book rise from small-town Iowa beginnings as a youthful singer in a Baptist choir to one of the world's most celebrated vocalists performing before presidents and in the great opera houses of Europe and America. One of the first chapters of this story began in 1960 at Iowa when a new professor of voice, Charles Kellis, recognized the raw musical gifts of a young man who had come to campus on an athletic scholarship. It was under Kellis' tutelage that Estes prepared for an audition at the Juilliard School in New York. After graduating from Juilliard, Estes gathered important roles in opera houses all over the world. His Metropolitan Opera debut was in 1982. Kellis, who has since left Iowa, is still Estes' vocal coach. THE ARGUS, Rock Island, Ill., Sunday, march 3, 1985 48
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[[photo caption]]Simon Estes[[end caption]] Simon Estes in Iowa Opera Metropolitan Opera star Simon Estes will return to his alma mater, the University of Iowa, to perform the title role in Moussorgsky's "Boris Gudonov" in 1986. Estes is on the crest of unprecedented attention in the opera world, having just opened in the Metropolitan Opera's first production of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess." With Estes and Grace Bumbry in the leads, "Porgy's" opening was anticipated by record-setting ticket sales. The new Met production sold out 16 performances before its debut. The historic SUI performances of "Boris Gudonov" are scheduled for April 25-27, 1986, as part of the Iowa Center for the Arts 50th anniversary celebration. Estes will perform the lead in the masterpiece with the university's Opera Theater and Symphony Orchestra. He will be in residence at Iowa for two weeks, giving master classes in addition to preparing for three performances. The part of Boris, the tormented Russian czar, is one of Estes most celebrated triumphs and will mark the first time the Centerville, Iowa, native will have performed a full operatic role in the state. "This will be a rare chance to hear Simon perform in America one of the roles he is famous for in Europe," said Beaumont Glass, opera theater director. "Boris" is the most widely acclaimed Russian opera and is Mussorgsky's crowning achievement as a champion of Russian national music. He derived the libretto from a play by the Russian poet Pushkin. The opera deals with the fascinating legend of one of the most powerful figures in Russian history whose consuming ambition led him to commit a crime that haunted him to his death. Estes has had an almost story-book rise from small-town Iowa beginnings as a youthful singer in a Baptist choir to one of the world's most celebrated vocalists performing before presidents and in the great opera houses of Europe and America. One of the first chapters of this story began in 1960 at Iowa when a new professor of voice, Charles Kellis, recognized the raw musical gifts of a young man who had come to campus on an athletic scholarship. It was under Kellis' tutelage that Estes prepared for an audition at the Juilliard School in New York. After graduating from Juilliard, Estes gathered important roles in opera houses all over the world. His Metropolitan Opera debut was in 1982. Kellis, who has since left Iowa, is still Estes' vocal coach. THE ARGUS, Rock Island, Ill., Sunday, march 3, 1985 48
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