· Dr. Estes was selected from a pool of 199 nominations
· The inaugural class of Opera Hall of Fame honorees will be honored at an induction ceremony in early 2022 in New York City
· The honor “solidifies him as one of the most important and influential singers in human history.”
ANKENY, Iowa—Iowa native and DMACC Visiting Professor of Music, Dr. Simon Estes is among the first group of inductees in OPERA America’s newly created Opera Hall of Fame located in New York City.
The Opera Hall of Fame will be located in the Sherrill Milnes Honors Gallery at OPERA America’s National Opera Center in Manhattan, New York. It recognizes the achievements of outstanding living American artists, administrators and advocates within the field of opera.
“So much has happened in my lifetime,” said Dr. Estes. “I’m very grateful and blessed for this tremendous honor. I want this recognition to be inspirational to people of color around the world to show that you can start from humble beginnings and still achieve international fame in music and the arts.”
The 10 people who have been invited to join the Opera Hall of Fame include:
- Patricia K. Beggs, general director emerita, Cincinnati Opera
- Grace Bumbry, international soprano
- Matthew Epstein, artist manager; former artistic director, Lyric Opera of Chicago; artistic advisor, the Santa Fe Opera
- Simon Estes, bass-baritone and humanitarian
- Gordon Getty, composer, philanthropist, and trustee, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation
- David Gockley, general director emeritus, San Francisco Opera; former general director, Houston Grand Opera
- Camille LaBarre, managing director, The Metropolitan Opera
- George Shirley, international tenor and teacher
- Dawn Upshaw, international soprano and teacher
· Roma Wittcoff, trustee, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Arizona Opera
The honorees were selected from a pool of 199 nominations submitted by OPERA America members and the general public. An induction ceremony for the inaugural class will be held in early 2022 in New York City.
“Dr. Estes’ induction to the Opera Hall of Fame reinforces his profound impact on the opera world,” said DMACC Music Chair Dr. James Thompson and former student of Dr. Estes at Boston University. “The fact that he is inducted in the inaugural class solidifies him as one of the most important and influential singers in human history. As a DMACC community, we are proud that he is a colleague. We are indescribably fortunate that Dr. Estes is able to share his passion for music and education with the students of DMACC.”
Estes has been a Visiting Professor of Music at DMACC since 2016. Also in 2016, it was announced that Dr. Estes would be honored for his achievements through a permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.
The Centerville, Iowa native has portrayed more than 100 roles in opera and sung in 84 different opera houses. He’s performed with 90 of the world’s best conductors and 115 different orchestras. He has sung for six U.S. presidents and several dignitaries, including Nelson Mandela.
The Simon Estes School of Fine Arts at DMACC was named after the opera singer.
Dr. Simon Estes at DMACC
(contributed press release and photo, DMACC)
