DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987 | 1982-01-15 ""Simon Estes: I have been ready for the Met since 1974"" Page 3

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Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987

1982-01-15 ""Simon Estes: I have been ready for the Met since 1974"" Page 3

"Simon Estes: I have been ready for the Met..." Des Moines Tribune - 1/15/82

Just as in the movies or on stage, it has been easier for black women to play romantic parts in opera than for black men. But perceptions are changing and the view shared by many in the opera world is that the necessity of planning years in advance -- and the complexity of international scheduling -- have a bigger hand in delaying the arrival of outstanding singers such as Estes at the Met and the other major houses than does a singer's color.
Discussing how he has dealt with such problems, the singer conceded, "I have great faith in God. That's what's enabled me to endure these things. I wouldn't let God down." In keeping with this outlook, he summarized the situation facing black artists today in a parable-like account of his first performance opposite the noted black soprano Leontyne Price, which occured unexpectedly this fall while he was singing the part of Amonasro in the San Francisco Opera production of "Aida." Estes' colleagues in the production included the tenor Luciano Pavarotti and the soprano Margaret Price.
"Leontyne stepped in for Margaret Price as Aida during the run," Estes began, "and boy, the Price was right! It was the most incredible performance that I have ever sung in my life. We had a rehearsal the day before she was going to sing. We were starting to act and she looked at me and I saw tears in her eyes. Then, at the end of one particularly beautiful phrase, the tears really just rolled down her face.
"This great, great lady," Estes whispered, "was weeping. So we embraced. She said, 'Simon, I'm sorry. I usually don't do that, but this means so much to me.' And I said, 'Leontyne, I have no words to really tell you what it means for me to finally be able to sing on the operatic stage in the United States of America with you.'
"I only wish that people knew what happened that night," Estes concluded, "and I wish they would remove all of their barriers towards other people, black and white, to let them present their talents the way they should be presented."
Estes credits Levine with bringing about a change in the attitude toward blacks at the Met. "He has brought a lot of black artists in there," said the singer. "I don't know if I would be singing there even now, if it were not for him."
He concedes, however, that until there are more blacks on opera and orchestra boards, and more black conductors, stage producers, managers, critics and writers, "it's obvious we have a great problem."
Prior to his agreeing to sing in "Tannhauser," Estes had received several other offers from the Met. "But they were roles like King in 'Aida,' the first soldier in 'Salome' -- I was already singing title roles in Europe, and they wanted to put me on a weekly contract. And I said, 'I'm sorry, that's unacceptable at this stage in my career. Had you made an offer like that to me in the late '60s or the early '70s, I would have been thrilled to have done that.'
"And I would have," he insisted. "I was even hurt that I was not offered a beginner's contract when I won the silver medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1966."
Now he has a contract running through 1985 which, although he is not at liberty to reveal its details, ought to find him singing Amfortas and Wotan in 1983, along with tour performances of "Boris Godunov" in the spring of that year.
For the athletically-built bass, the road to music, let alone to the Met, was a long and sometimes frustrating one. He was born in 1938 in Centerville, Ia., where he grew up in an integrated neighborhood and lettered on his high school's football and basketball teams, achieving note as a high-jumper and starting pitcher for the baseball team.
He spent eight years, from 1956 to 1963, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. His first three years were in the pre-med program.
"I wanted to be a doctor, then changed my mind, went into the School of Theology for a year, then changed my mind again and had three years of social psychology," he recalled.
"At that point, I decided I was going to go into medical school." But by that time Estes had joined a popular campus singing group and had been heard by Charles Kellis, a voice teacher at the university who now teaches privately in New York. Kellis had other ideas. Nobody had wanted to take the young man as a vocal student, but Kellis was convinced he had a voice for opera.
"I owe it all to him," Estes said, "and I remain terribly dedicated to the University of Iowa." As a measure of his dedication to his alma mater, the singer recently established 12 Simon Estes scholarships for needy students there.
In 1964, Estes came to Juilliard, which, he says, served as a "catalyst" in his development. After one year, he obtained a Martha Baird Rockefeller Foundation grant to travel to Germany in order to audition for opera houses there.
"The first house I auditioned for was the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, which gave me a contract. I made my debut there as Ramfis in 'Aida' in 1965," he said.
Also in 1965, Estes won a prize a the Munich Competition. In 1966, he was named the silver medalist at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. The past 15 years have seen his career grow into one of the most successful in opera.
The success makes it even harder for Estes to forget that he is unique, the only black male to achieve an international reputation in opera.
"And I regret that we have to still spend so much time talking about this," he added. "I would like to spend my time talking about the joy that I receive from singing music, how grateful I am to God for the gift of singing that He has granted to me, to share this gift with people.
"I give master classes all over the world, I go to schools to talk with kids about the drug problem, about the social problems they face; that's what I do -- I'm not only just an opera singer.
"But the opera, of course, is an avenue for me to do other things I want to do with people. And I hope through my singing I'm able to bring some joy to other people's lives -- that's what I always want to do whenever I sing.
"One might say that's corny," Estes summarized, "but I really mean that so sincerely. I'm not being dramatic or anything. I really love to sing and I really love people."

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"Simon Estes: I have been ready for the Met..." Des Moines Tribune - 1/15/82 Just as in the movies or on stage, it has been easier for black women to play romantic parts in opera than for black men. But perceptions are changing and the view shared by many in the opera world is that the necessity of planning years in advance -- and the complexity of international scheduling -- have a bigger hand in delaying the arrival of outstanding singers such as Estes at the Met and the other major houses than does a singer's color. Discussing how he has dealt with such problems, the singer conceded, "I have great faith in God. That's what's enabled me to endure these things. I wouldn't let God down." In keeping with this outlook, he summarized the situation facing black artists today in a parable-like account of his first performance opposite the noted black soprano Leontyne Price, which occured unexpectedly this fall while he was singing the part of Amonasro in the San Francisco Opera production of "Aida." Estes' colleagues in the production included the tenor Luciano Pavarotti and the soprano Margaret Price. "Leontyne stepped in for Margaret Price as Aida during the run," Estes began, "and boy, the Price was right! It was the most incredible performance that I have ever sung in my life. We had a rehearsal the day before she was going to sing. We were starting to act and she looked at me and I saw tears in her eyes. Then, at the end of one particularly beautiful phrase, the tears really just rolled down her face. "This great, great lady," Estes whispered, "was weeping. So we embraced. She said, 'Simon, I'm sorry. I usually don't do that, but this means so much to me.' And I said, 'Leontyne, I have no words to really tell you what it means for me to finally be able to sing on the operatic stage in the United States of America with you.' "I only wish that people knew what happened that night," Estes concluded, "and I wish they would remove all of their barriers towards other people, black and white, to let them present their talents the way they should be presented." Estes credits Levine with bringing about a change in the attitude toward blacks at the Met. "He has brought a lot of black artists in there," said the singer. "I don't know if I would be singing there even now, if it were not for him." He concedes, however, that until there are more blacks on opera and orchestra boards, and more black conductors, stage producers, managers, critics and writers, "it's obvious we have a great problem." Prior to his agreeing to sing in "Tannhauser," Estes had received several other offers from the Met. "But they were roles like King in 'Aida,' the first soldier in 'Salome' -- I was already singing title roles in Europe, and they wanted to put me on a weekly contract. And I said, 'I'm sorry, that's unacceptable at this stage in my career. Had you made an offer like that to me in the late '60s or the early '70s, I would have been thrilled to have done that.' "And I would have," he insisted. "I was even hurt that I was not offered a beginner's contract when I won the silver medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1966." Now he has a contract running through 1985 which, although he is not at liberty to reveal its details, ought to find him singing Amfortas and Wotan in 1983, along with tour performances of "Boris Godunov" in the spring of that year. For the athletically-built bass, the road to music, let alone to the Met, was a long and sometimes frustrating one. He was born in 1938 in Centerville, Ia., where he grew up in an integrated neighborhood and lettered on his high school's football and basketball teams, achieving note as a high-jumper and starting pitcher for the baseball team. He spent eight years, from 1956 to 1963, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. His first three years were in the pre-med program. "I wanted to be a doctor, then changed my mind, went into the School of Theology for a year, then changed my mind again and had three years of social psychology," he recalled. "At that point, I decided I was going to go into medical school." But by that time Estes had joined a popular campus singing group and had been heard by Charles Kellis, a voice teacher at the university who now teaches privately in New York. Kellis had other ideas. Nobody had wanted to take the young man as a vocal student, but Kellis was convinced he had a voice for opera. "I owe it all to him," Estes said, "and I remain terribly dedicated to the University of Iowa." As a measure of his dedication to his alma mater, the singer recently established 12 Simon Estes scholarships for needy students there. In 1964, Estes came to Juilliard, which, he says, served as a "catalyst" in his development. After one year, he obtained a Martha Baird Rockefeller Foundation grant to travel to Germany in order to audition for opera houses there. "The first house I auditioned for was the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, which gave me a contract. I made my debut there as Ramfis in 'Aida' in 1965," he said. Also in 1965, Estes won a prize a the Munich Competition. In 1966, he was named the silver medalist at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. The past 15 years have seen his career grow into one of the most successful in opera. The success makes it even harder for Estes to forget that he is unique, the only black male to achieve an international reputation in opera. "And I regret that we have to still spend so much time talking about this," he added. "I would like to spend my time talking about the joy that I receive from singing music, how grateful I am to God for the gift of singing that He has granted to me, to share this gift with people. "I give master classes all over the world, I go to schools to talk with kids about the drug problem, about the social problems they face; that's what I do -- I'm not only just an opera singer. "But the opera, of course, is an avenue for me to do other things I want to do with people. And I hope through my singing I'm able to bring some joy to other people's lives -- that's what I always want to do whenever I sing. "One might say that's corny," Estes summarized, "but I really mean that so sincerely. I'm not being dramatic or anything. I really love to sing and I really love people." p.3 (of 3