Opera Legend Marilyn Horne Leads Annual Oberlin Master Class Dec. 4

The year 2019 marks the 85th birthday of the incomparable Marilyn Horne—and the 15th consecutive year the opera legend has paid a visit to Oberlin to work with conservatory voice students.

The celebrated mezzo-soprano will lead her annual public master class in Finney Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 4. Horne will also collaborate with additional singers in private sessions throughout the week.

Featured singers will include Alexis Reed, Helena Colindres, Katherine Krebs, and Caitlin Aloia. They will perform repertoire that includes operatic works and art song by Massenet, Mozart, Britten, and others. Maggie Kinabrew and Gabrela Linares will be alternates for the Wednesday class.

Tickets are $5, and admission is free with an Oberlin College ID. Tickets may be purchased online using Oberlin's Arts Guide. The master class will be streamed live at oberlin.edu.

Horne’s annual residency at Oberlin is made possible by philanthropist Stephen Rubin, president and publisher of Henry Holt & Co. and a longtime friend of Horne’s. In 2013, Rubin established the Marilyn Horne Professorship and Residency Fund. In addition to bringing Horne to campus, the fund provides financial assistance for career-advancement opportunities to the most promising voice students in the conservatory. Those students earn the designation "Rubin Scholars."

Past recipients of the award include Meryl Dominguez ’14, Emily Hopkins ’15, Joshua Blue ’16, Siena Miller ’16, Juliana Zara ’16, Amber Monroe ’17, Jesse Mashburn '18, Nicholas Music '18, and Elise Thora Volkmann '18. The most recent honorees are Whitney Campbell '19 and Shawn Roth '20, both of whom sang for Horne in December 2018.

Artist Recitals at Oberlin resume in the new year with the ensemble Russian Renaissance, who perform in Finney Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 28. Learn more at oberlin.edu/artsguide.