The University Record, September 24, 1996
School of Music establishes Jessye Norman fellowships, class series
By Joanne Nesbit
News and Information Services
The School of Music has established the Jessye Norman Graduate Fellowships in Voice and the Jessye Norman Master Class Series. They were made possible by the Charles H. Gershenson Trust, which has endowed several previous programs at the School.
The Master Class Series will enable a well-known vocal artist from outside the University to conduct an extended master class in both the fall and spring terms on an ongoing basis. The scholarship awards will begin with the 1997 fall term.
“It is with great pleasure and anticipation that the School of Music receives this bequest, which honors one of our most distinguished former students, Jessye Norman,” Dean Paul C. Boylan says. “Miss Norman’s professional stature both in this country and abroad and her active involvement in the Fellowship Program will attract the very best aspiring young singers.”
Norman’s talent and artistry continue to capture capacity audiences around the world in her appearances with some of the most prestigious orchestras and conductors and on the most renowned stages. From the Metropolitan Opera in New York to that city’s Carnegie Hall and concert tours of Europe and North America, Norman’s appearances in recital and concert range from portrayals of operatic heroines to interpreting lieder or demonstrating her widely varied operatic repertoire.
This past summer billions of television viewers saw Norman perform at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta and at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The U-M has a long history of attracting excellent students in the performing arts and providing them with the opportunity to study with an extraordinary faculty. That faculty includes performers currently active on the international stage, as well as highly experienced individuals who are former members of major symphony orchestras, opera houses, dance and theater companies.
