Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Legendary opera singer Jessye Norman gives free program at Rollins College

Legendary opera singer Jessye Norman will give a free lecture at Rollins College this Wednesday, Feb. 13, as part of the college's Winter Park Institute.

"A Conversation With Jessye Norman" will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Tiedtke Concert Hall, Keene Music Building on the Rollins Campus, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park.

Norman, 67, will discuss her life and work.

"It is with enormous pleasure that I look forward to my visit to Rollins College, with the students as well as the general community," Norman said Monday. "In a time when the arts are being put aside in too many instances in the misguided idea that mathematics and science are more 'important' fields of study, it is marvelous to find a school where the arts are understood and fostered for what they are: the gateway to the culture of a nation, a community, indeed a people.

"The arts nourish all parts of us: our minds and our bodies. Let us celebrate the fullness of humanity in our embrace of the true depth of our spirits: art!"

Born into a musical family in Augusta, Ga., Norman learned the piano as a child. She pursued formal musical studies at Howard University, then later at the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Michigan. She made her operatic debut in a 1969 production of "Tannhaeuser" at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She soon was seen on stages from Lincoln Center to Covent Garden, Carnegie Hall to La Scala, the Paris Opera to the Vienna State Opera.

Among her myriad honors: The French named an orchid after her and gave her the Legion of Honor, the United Nations made her an honorary ambassador. She's a lifelong member of Great Britain's Royal Academy of Music and she sang at Bill Clinton's 1997 presidential inauguration.

"Listening to Jessye Norman find her way into a song is like watching in wonder as a beautiful morning reaches the climax of noon," once wrote music critic Octavio Roca. "Warmth and blinding light are everywhere in her voice."

Launched in 2008, the Winter Park Institute sponsors public lectures, readings and seminars throughout the year. Upcoming speakers include activist and author Azar Nafisi and filmmaker Oliver Stone.

"Jessye Norman makes a wonderful addition to our spring schedule," said Gail Sinclair, executive director of the Winter Park Institute. "This season will be one of our most diverse yet, ranging from musical legends, to activists, to award-winning filmmakers."

No tickets are required for Norman's lecture. Free parking is available in the SunTrust parking garage at 166 E. Lyman Ave. For more information, go to http://www.winterparkinstitute.org or call 407-691-1995.

Source: http://feeds.orlandosentinel.com/~r/entertainment/stage/theaterblog/~3/9sDleEAMh-Q/os-jessye-norman-rollins-college-20130211,0,7069518.story

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