27 Facts About Marilyn Horne

1.

Marilyn Horne was born on January 16,1934 and is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer.

2.

Marilyn Horne specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages.

3.

Marilyn Horne is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, and has won four Grammy Awards.

4.

Marilyn Horne was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, to Berneice and Bentz Horne.

5.

Marilyn Horne's parents were both politicians, with her mother serving as city assessor of the Fifth Ward and her father appointed as McKean County assessor.

6.

Marilyn Horne's younger brother, Jay, was born after the move to Long Beach, in 1949.

7.

At age 13, Marilyn Horne became part of the newly formed Roger Wagner Chorale.

8.

Marilyn Horne is an alumna of Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

9.

Marilyn Horne won a scholarship for the University of Southern California where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.

10.

Marilyn Horne studied voice under William Vennard and Gwendolyn Koldofsky at the University of Southern California School of Music and participated in Lotte Lehmann's vocal master classes at Music Academy of the West.

11.

Marilyn Horne sang on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Carol Burnett Show.

12.

Marilyn Horne made her Los Angeles debut the same year when she performed the role of Hata in The Bartered Bride with the Los Angeles Guild Opera.

13.

Marilyn Horne remained in Europe for three seasons singing for the Gelsenkirchen Opera.

14.

Marilyn Horne was highly acclaimed for her performance as Marie in Alban Berg's Wozzeck at the inauguration of Gelsenkirchen's new opera house on May 22,1960.

15.

Marilyn Horne debuted in 1961 at Lyric Opera of Chicago where she created the role of Lora in Vittorio Giannini's The Harvest.

16.

For many years, Marilyn Horne was associated with the Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland in their performances of the bel canto repertoire.

17.

Marilyn Horne made her debut at the Royal Opera House in October 1964 as Marie in Wozzeck.

18.

Marilyn Horne made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1970 as Adalgisa in Bellini's Norma with Sutherland in the title role.

19.

Marilyn Horne can be heard on the soundtrack of the 1961 film Flower Drum Song singing "Love, Look Away" and she sang the role of Lady Thiang on the Philips recording of The King and I starring Julie Andrews and Ben Kingsley.

20.

Marilyn Horne sang an aria from Carmen by Georges Bizet.

21.

In January 1993, Marilyn Horne sang "Make A Rainbow" by American singer and songwriter Portia Nelson, and the Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts" at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.

22.

Marilyn Horne retired from the concert stage in 1999 with a recital at the Chicago Symphony Center.

23.

Marilyn Horne teaches a series of annual Master Classes at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music; the University of Maryland, College Park; the Manhattan School of Music; and the University of Oklahoma.

24.

From 1997 to 2018 Marilyn Horne directed the Voice Program at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California.

25.

Marilyn Horne was scheduled to teach and remain the head of the jury for the Marilyn Horne Song Competition through 2020.

26.

In 2013, Marilyn Horne donated her personal archives to the University of Pittsburgh.

27.

Marilyn Horne was married from 1960 to 1979 to the conductor Henry Lewis whom she met in college at the University of Southern California.