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Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987

1980-12-03 ""star tenor in a low key""

DMR - Wed. Dec 3, 1980

star tenor in a low key

By JERALD HETH
Of The Register's Iowa City Bureau

IOWA CITY, IA. -- His international rank commanded awe and attention. His magnetism commanded shyness and silence. Simon Estes smiled, and finally an aspiring opera singer asked: "How do you teach breathing? I know that sounds like a dumb question."
Estes, standing relaxed and confident in front of 60 students and faculty members of the University of Iowa's School of Music, interrupted: "No. No question is dumb. Breathing is the most important single thing."
Long ago, before he reached the stage of international opera star, he breathed high, he said, puffing out his chest in demonstration. He changed techniques and began breathing lower. "I developed my diaphragm. It's probably my strongest muscle," he said. "I can probably hold any one of you on it, but don't ask me to prove it.
"All the great singers, Price, Merrill, Pavarotti, have little pots here," he said, patting his stomach. "When I sing Wagner, I breath like this." He pushed his stomach out, prompting laughter with is pregnant look. This is about my fifth month," he said.
Delights in Sharing
Estes, 42, delights in sharing his successes with students. He shares his money, his experiences, his advice, without asking anything in return. It a side of Estes that often goes unnoticed.
Stories about Estes frequently mention the exquisite blend of strength and warmth of his voice or dwell on how a black opera star broke down discrimination barriers.
But the charitable side does sign through. He is here for a benefit concert, to be held tonight at Hancher Auditorium, with proceeds going to a fund that Estes set up to help U of I music students.
He helps students not only here, but in Europe as well. He is assisting at least a dozen now, he said.
In 1976, while appearing in Tel Aviv, with the Israeli Philharmonic, Estes attended a performance of a professional choir. AT a reception afterward, Estes was introduced to Anat Keidar, a school teacher and member of the choir. They became friends and Estes discovered that Keidar wanted to continue her studies, but didn't have the money.
After four weeks of performances, Estes flew to New York City and promty began helping Keidar get a student visa. Keidar, with Estes as her official sponsor, arrived on the U of I campus in January 1977.
"Simon gave me a chance of a lifetime," said Keidar. She went on to obtain a master's degree in voice, but with the job outlook poor, she now is working on a master's degree in speech pathology. "He has offered to pay more, but I only allow him to pay tuition. He's very generous. For a birthday present, he bought me a plane ticket so I could fly to the East Coast and visit my parents. I hadn't seen them in 31/2 years."
Shardrick Boone, a U of I graduate student in voice, received $200 from the Simon Estes Fund here to study opera and voice at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, last summer. "Being there gave me exposure to Mozart tenor roles, which are basic to performing Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini and Wagner," said Boone, who dreams of an operatic career.
Another recipient of a grant from the Estes fund at the U of I is Raleigh Williams, also a graduate student in voice. "I wanted to continue my studies at the university, but I wasn't financially prepared to meet all expenses," said Williams. He received $800 for his expenses this year.
Estes, who attended the U of I in the late 1950s and early 1960s, worked while he studied. If he can help students avoid the same problem, he will. "Money is a representation of achievement, of how hard you have worked," he said in an interview. "I enjoy taking care of myself and others. I don't believe in leaving wills. Why not help others? I believe in living wills, not dead wills."
Estes, son of a Centerville coal miner and grandson of a slave, has sung 83 roles in most of the big opera houses. He is booked through 1983-84 Metropolitan Opera season in New York and will make his debut there next April as Wotan in "Die Walkuere."
"Things are rolling along real well," Estes said.
After Estes performs here, he will fly to New York for his debut at Carnegie Hall next Sunday.He will fly to Des Moines for a concert at the Civic Center next Tuesday. Then it's a concert at Springfield, Ill., before flying on to Paris.
And somewhere among all his engagements, Estes is scheduled to appear in a film, "Aida," on location in Egypt.
He listened to about a dozen students singing arias and art songs. "I'm very impressed," he said. "You all sang extremely well and you all have beautiful voices. Not all great voices are going to make it. Know your music and know your style. The best foundation for that is a university. You have to really love what you're doing. When you walk on stage, you must radiate confidence. Not be cocky, just confident.
Confidence is what earned Estes the Silver Medal in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1966. Simon Estes, alone on the stage, sang the first section of an aria perfectly, then his mind went completely blank. He skipped the second section and went on to the third, while his accompanist feverishly whipped through pages trying to find where Estes was in the text. The judges later told Estes the reason he won was because he didn't allow the faux pas to affect his singing.
"Work Hard"
Estes, in conclusion, told the students: "None of you give up. Work hard, study and love your work. I hope to sing with some of you on the stages of the world."
If that's the case, some U of I students should be prepared for some humorous moments. While performing with Israeli Philharmonic, its conductor Zubin Mehta, with Estes as an accomplice, wound a Playboy centerfold inside a scroll for a performance of "Aida." As an Italian tenor unrolled the scroll to sing a decree, his eyes widened with surprise. So did the eyes of the chorus as it was shown to them. Not one of the singers missed a note, Estes says. That's another side of determination.

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DMR - Wed. Dec 3, 1980 star tenor in a low key By JERALD HETH Of The Register's Iowa City Bureau IOWA CITY, IA. -- His international rank commanded awe and attention. His magnetism commanded shyness and silence. Simon Estes smiled, and finally an aspiring opera singer asked: "How do you teach breathing? I know that sounds like a dumb question." Estes, standing relaxed and confident in front of 60 students and faculty members of the University of Iowa's School of Music, interrupted: "No. No question is dumb. Breathing is the most important single thing." Long ago, before he reached the stage of international opera star, he breathed high, he said, puffing out his chest in demonstration. He changed techniques and began breathing lower. "I developed my diaphragm. It's probably my strongest muscle," he said. "I can probably hold any one of you on it, but don't ask me to prove it. "All the great singers, Price, Merrill, Pavarotti, have little pots here," he said, patting his stomach. "When I sing Wagner, I breath like this." He pushed his stomach out, prompting laughter with is pregnant look. This is about my fifth month," he said. Delights in Sharing Estes, 42, delights in sharing his successes with students. He shares his money, his experiences, his advice, without asking anything in return. It a side of Estes that often goes unnoticed. Stories about Estes frequently mention the exquisite blend of strength and warmth of his voice or dwell on how a black opera star broke down discrimination barriers. But the charitable side does sign through. He is here for a benefit concert, to be held tonight at Hancher Auditorium, with proceeds going to a fund that Estes set up to help U of I music students. He helps students not only here, but in Europe as well. He is assisting at least a dozen now, he said. In 1976, while appearing in Tel Aviv, with the Israeli Philharmonic, Estes attended a performance of a professional choir. AT a reception afterward, Estes was introduced to Anat Keidar, a school teacher and member of the choir. They became friends and Estes discovered that Keidar wanted to continue her studies, but didn't have the money. After four weeks of performances, Estes flew to New York City and promty began helping Keidar get a student visa. Keidar, with Estes as her official sponsor, arrived on the U of I campus in January 1977. "Simon gave me a chance of a lifetime," said Keidar. She went on to obtain a master's degree in voice, but with the job outlook poor, she now is working on a master's degree in speech pathology. "He has offered to pay more, but I only allow him to pay tuition. He's very generous. For a birthday present, he bought me a plane ticket so I could fly to the East Coast and visit my parents. I hadn't seen them in 31/2 years." Shardrick Boone, a U of I graduate student in voice, received $200 from the Simon Estes Fund here to study opera and voice at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, last summer. "Being there gave me exposure to Mozart tenor roles, which are basic to performing Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini and Wagner," said Boone, who dreams of an operatic career. Another recipient of a grant from the Estes fund at the U of I is Raleigh Williams, also a graduate student in voice. "I wanted to continue my studies at the university, but I wasn't financially prepared to meet all expenses," said Williams. He received $800 for his expenses this year. Estes, who attended the U of I in the late 1950s and early 1960s, worked while he studied. If he can help students avoid the same problem, he will. "Money is a representation of achievement, of how hard you have worked," he said in an interview. "I enjoy taking care of myself and others. I don't believe in leaving wills. Why not help others? I believe in living wills, not dead wills." Estes, son of a Centerville coal miner and grandson of a slave, has sung 83 roles in most of the big opera houses. He is booked through 1983-84 Metropolitan Opera season in New York and will make his debut there next April as Wotan in "Die Walkuere." "Things are rolling along real well," Estes said. After Estes performs here, he will fly to New York for his debut at Carnegie Hall next Sunday.He will fly to Des Moines for a concert at the Civic Center next Tuesday. Then it's a concert at Springfield, Ill., before flying on to Paris. And somewhere among all his engagements, Estes is scheduled to appear in a film, "Aida," on location in Egypt. He listened to about a dozen students singing arias and art songs. "I'm very impressed," he said. "You all sang extremely well and you all have beautiful voices. Not all great voices are going to make it. Know your music and know your style. The best foundation for that is a university. You have to really love what you're doing. When you walk on stage, you must radiate confidence. Not be cocky, just confident. Confidence is what earned Estes the Silver Medal in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1966. Simon Estes, alone on the stage, sang the first section of an aria perfectly, then his mind went completely blank. He skipped the second section and went on to the third, while his accompanist feverishly whipped through pages trying to find where Estes was in the text. The judges later told Estes the reason he won was because he didn't allow the faux pas to affect his singing. "Work Hard" Estes, in conclusion, told the students: "None of you give up. Work hard, study and love your work. I hope to sing with some of you on the stages of the world." If that's the case, some U of I students should be prepared for some humorous moments. While performing with Israeli Philharmonic, its conductor Zubin Mehta, with Estes as an accomplice, wound a Playboy centerfold inside a scroll for a performance of "Aida." As an Italian tenor unrolled the scroll to sing a decree, his eyes widened with surprise. So did the eyes of the chorus as it was shown to them. Not one of the singers missed a note, Estes says. That's another side of determination.