Lena Mae McLin was an American educator, composer, author, and pastor, who served as a music teacher in the Chicago Public Schools system at Kenwood Academy.
18 Facts About Lena McLin
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Lena McLin attended the Pilgrim Baptist Church as a child, where she was exposed to gospel music and served as an accompanist to her uncle's choir.
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Lena McLin had a bachelor's degree in music, specializing in piano and violin, from Spelman College, and a graduate degree in music from the American Conservatory of Music.
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Lena McLin taught in Chicago at Hubbard High School, Harlan High School, and Kenwood Academy.
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Lena McLin was called "the woman who launched a thousand careers" by art critic Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune.
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Kelly stated that it was Lena McLin that convinced him to pursue a career in music over basketball, that he considers Lena McLin his "second mother", and that she has remained an influence in his career continuously since his high-school days.
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Lena McLin officially retired from teaching high school in the mid-1990s but continued teaching voice lessons.
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Lena McLin taught for 36 years, all at Chicago area public schools.
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Lena McLin published the book Pulse: A History Of Music in 1977.
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Lena McLin has a library of choral works published by the Neil A Kjos Music Company.
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Lena McLin founded the Lena McLin Ensemble in the 1950s, during which time she was serving as the public relations director of the Park District Opera Guild.
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Lena McLin was named the "nation's leading small opera company" by the Washington Afro-American in 1965.
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Lena McLin composed a wide range of music, including cantatas, masses, and rock operas.
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Lena McLin's work has built from both European classical traditions and tradition African-American music, and "works large and small that, in essence, merged European and African-American languages", according to Reich.
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Lena McLin was an honoree of the Human Symphony's Foundation living legends award in 2007.
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Lena McLin was awarded honorary degrees by the Virginia Union University and Spelman College.
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Lena McLin was a 2003 recipient of the lifetime achievement award from the Chicago Music Awards.
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Lena McLin died on October 3,2023, at the age of 95.