Simon Estes
Encyclopedia
Simon Estes is an opera
tic bass-baritone
of African-American descent who had a major international opera career since the 1960s. He has sung at most of the world's major opera houses as well as in front of presidents, popes and internationally renowned figures and celebrities including Bill Clinton
, Richard Nixon
, Boris Yeltsin
, Yasser Arafat
, Nelson Mandela
and Desmond Tutu
. He was notably part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve wide success and is viewed as part of an instrumental group of performers who helped break down the barriers of racial prejudice in the opera world.
, the son of Ruth Jeter Estes and Simon Estes. His father was a coal-miner and his grandfather was a former slave who had been sold at auction for $500. Named for his father, Estes was called 'Billy' within his family circle to avoid confusion when addressing the two. One of five children, Estes has three sisters and a younger brother. His family was heavily involved in their local Baptist
church, and his earliest musical experiences were had there. He remained active with church musical activities and participated in school music programs throughout his youth.
In 1957 Estes entered the University of Iowa
, originally with the intent of studying pre-med. He changed his major to psychology and then religion before finally switching to studying vocal music through the influence of faculty member Charles Kellis. At the time Estes had been singing in the university's "Old Gold Singers" (he was notably the group's first black singer) and his voice had grabbed Kellis's interest. Kellis became Estes's first voice teacher and it was he who introduced Estes to opera. After finishing his undergraduate studies, Estes pursued further education at the Juilliard School
in 1964, a pursuit which was made possible through funds raised in Iowa.
's Aida
at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
to a warm reception. The following year he scored a major success when he won a bronze medal at Moscow's Tchaikovsky Competition. The competition win led to an invitation from President Lyndon Johnson to perform at the White House in 1966 and several offers for engagements at major opera houses in Europe soon followed.
Estes kept a very busy schedule performing in European opera houses during the late 1960s and the 1970s. He drew particular acclaim for performing leading roles in operas by Richard Wagner
. He appeared at such houses as La Scala
, Covent Garden
, the Opéra National de Paris, the Liceu
, the Hamburg State Opera
, the Bavarian State Opera
, the Vienna State Opera
and the Zurich Opera
among others. He also sang at several notable music festivals, including the Salzburg Festival
and the Glyndebourne Festival. In 1978 he notably became the first black male, African-American or otherwise, to sing a leading role at the prestigious Bayreuth Festival
when he sang the title role in Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. The performance was a personal triumph for him and he went on to sing at Bayreuth for the next six consecutive years. He returned to Bayreuth again in 1985 to sing the Dutchman again; a performance that was captured on video and is still considered one of the best recording of that role.
While Estes's career was thriving in the best European houses, he continued to be spurned by many of the major American houses during the 1970s. His debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago
in 1971 was in the minor role of the Ghost of Nino in Semiramide
, and his successive roles at that house were not any better. The Metropolitan Opera
did not even attempt to engage him in the 1960s or 1970s. More favorable to him was the San Francisco Opera
(SFO) with whom he sang several good roles in 1967, including the 4 villains in The Tales of Hoffman and Carter Jones in the United States premiere of Gunther Schuller
's The Visitation. He returned to the SFO several times during his career, singing Ramfis in Giuseppe Verdi
's Aida
(1972), Don Pedro in L'Africaine
(1972), Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor
(1972), The Flying Dutchman (1979), Marke in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
(1980), Amonasro in Aida (1981), and Escamillo in Georges Bizet
's Carmen
(1981).
In 1981 Estes was finally offered a contract to sing with the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City. He accepted, but at the time was cautioned by Leontyne Price
, the first African-American to become a leading prima donna
at the Met, about the difficult road ahead. Price, who suffered actual threats on her life when she first opened at the Met, explained, "Simon, it's going to be even more difficult for you. Because you are a black male, the discrimination will be greater. You have a beautiful voice; you are musical, intelligent, independent and handsome. With all of these ingredients, you are a threat. It will be more difficult for you than it was for me." However, the Met audience and critics responded favourably to Simon's house debut on January 4, 1982 as Hermann in Wagner's Tannhäuser
with Richard Cassilly
in the title role and Leonie Rysanek
as Elisabeth.
Estes went on to sing in the next six consecutive seasons at the Met, portraying such roles as Amfortas in Wagner's Parsifal
and Orest in Richard Strauss
's Elektra
. In 1985, he sang Porgy in the Met's first production of Gershwin
's Porgy and Bess
. In 1986, he sang Wotan in the inauguration of the legendary Ring production at the Metropolitan Opera directed by Otto Schenk
. He returned to the Met in 1990 to sing Porgy again and for the last time in 1999 to portray Amonasro to Sharon Sweet
's Aida. Perhaps his greatest Met moment was singing the role of Amonasro to Price's Aida for her farewell opera performance which was telecast live on national television on January 3, 1985.
He is a National Patron of Delta Omicron
, an international professional music fraternity.
of Music in New York City
. In Tulsa, Oklahoma
, he has established the Simon Estes Educational Foundation which has awarded over one million dollars in merit-based college scholarships. The Simon Estes International Foundation for Children in Switzerland was established in 1993 and has saved lives by providing support for child health needs in Switzerland and Bulgaria.
During the 1998-99 school year, 40 musically gifted students from the Simon Estes School, serving some of the poorest children in South Africa, attended Des Moines-area high schools under the sponsorship of Rotary District 6000 and performed throughout Iowa as the Simon Estes South African Youth Chorus.
More recently, Estes turned his attention to the fight against HIV
/AIDS
, now the leading cause of death among African Americans. At the forefront of Artists for HIV/AIDS prevention and education, Estes leads a collective voice of artists, who through music and arts, seek to break down socio-economic barriers as well as the stigma associated with the disease.
On July 9th, 2010, he performed at the World Cup during the opening "Tribute to South Africa" at the FIFA Gala Concert in Johannesburg, South Africa. There he learned about the increasing problem of Malaria in South Africa and decided also to get engaged in the fight against this illness.
in Waverly, Iowa
where he gives voice lessons when he is in residence. He has performed in Wartburg's Christmas concert, Christmas With Wartburg, and has been known to go on domestic and international spring tours with Wartburg's concert choir. He is listed on the artist faculty of Boston University and he is also the F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Artist in Residence at Iowa State University
in Ames, Iowa
. His many honorary degrees include a doctorate from Iowa State University, and he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Iowa
.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic bass-baritone
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
of African-American descent who had a major international opera career since the 1960s. He has sung at most of the world's major opera houses as well as in front of presidents, popes and internationally renowned figures and celebrities including Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
, Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
. He was notably part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve wide success and is viewed as part of an instrumental group of performers who helped break down the barriers of racial prejudice in the opera world.
Early life and education
Estes was born in Centerville, IowaCenterville, Iowa
Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,528 in the 2010 census, a decline from 5,924 in the 2000 census. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville had a booming coal mining industry that attracted many European immigrants...
, the son of Ruth Jeter Estes and Simon Estes. His father was a coal-miner and his grandfather was a former slave who had been sold at auction for $500. Named for his father, Estes was called 'Billy' within his family circle to avoid confusion when addressing the two. One of five children, Estes has three sisters and a younger brother. His family was heavily involved in their local Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church, and his earliest musical experiences were had there. He remained active with church musical activities and participated in school music programs throughout his youth.
In 1957 Estes entered the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, originally with the intent of studying pre-med. He changed his major to psychology and then religion before finally switching to studying vocal music through the influence of faculty member Charles Kellis. At the time Estes had been singing in the university's "Old Gold Singers" (he was notably the group's first black singer) and his voice had grabbed Kellis's interest. Kellis became Estes's first voice teacher and it was he who introduced Estes to opera. After finishing his undergraduate studies, Estes pursued further education at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
in 1964, a pursuit which was made possible through funds raised in Iowa.
Career
Like many African-American artists of his day, Estes decided to go to Europe where racial prejudice was not as difficult of a problem as it was in the United States. In 1965 he made his professional opera debut as Ramfis in Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
to a warm reception. The following year he scored a major success when he won a bronze medal at Moscow's Tchaikovsky Competition. The competition win led to an invitation from President Lyndon Johnson to perform at the White House in 1966 and several offers for engagements at major opera houses in Europe soon followed.
Estes kept a very busy schedule performing in European opera houses during the late 1960s and the 1970s. He drew particular acclaim for performing leading roles in operas by Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
. He appeared at such houses as La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
, Covent Garden
Royal Opera, London
The Royal Opera is an opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968...
, the Opéra National de Paris, the Liceu
Liceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu , or simply Liceu in Catalan and Liceo in Spanish, is an opera house on La Rambla in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
, the Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera is one of the leading opera companies in Germany.Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile...
, the Bavarian State Opera
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
, the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
and the Zurich Opera
Zurich Opera
Oper Zürich is an opera company based in Zurich, Switzerland. The company gives performances in the Opernhaus Zürich which has been the company’s home for fifty years.-History:...
among others. He also sang at several notable music festivals, including the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
and the Glyndebourne Festival. In 1978 he notably became the first black male, African-American or otherwise, to sing a leading role at the prestigious Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festspielhaus
The or Bayreuth Festival Theatre is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, dedicated solely to the performance of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner...
when he sang the title role in Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. The performance was a personal triumph for him and he went on to sing at Bayreuth for the next six consecutive years. He returned to Bayreuth again in 1985 to sing the Dutchman again; a performance that was captured on video and is still considered one of the best recording of that role.
While Estes's career was thriving in the best European houses, he continued to be spurned by many of the major American houses during the 1970s. His debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1952, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicolà Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria Callas's American debut in Norma...
in 1971 was in the minor role of the Ghost of Nino in Semiramide
Semiramide
Semiramide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon...
, and his successive roles at that house were not any better. The Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
did not even attempt to engage him in the 1960s or 1970s. More favorable to him was the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
(SFO) with whom he sang several good roles in 1967, including the 4 villains in The Tales of Hoffman and Carter Jones in the United States premiere of Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
's The Visitation. He returned to the SFO several times during his career, singing Ramfis in Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
(1972), Don Pedro in L'Africaine
L'Africaine
L'africaine is a grand opera, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama...
(1972), Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
(1972), The Flying Dutchman (1979), Marke in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
(1980), Amonasro in Aida (1981), and Escamillo in Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
's Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
(1981).
In 1981 Estes was finally offered a contract to sing with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City. He accepted, but at the time was cautioned by Leontyne Price
Leontyne Price
Mary Violet Leontyne Price is an American soprano. Born and raised in the Deep South, she rose to international acclaim in the 1950s and 1960s, and was one of the first African Americans to become a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera.One critic characterized Price's voice as "vibrant",...
, the first African-American to become a leading prima donna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
at the Met, about the difficult road ahead. Price, who suffered actual threats on her life when she first opened at the Met, explained, "Simon, it's going to be even more difficult for you. Because you are a black male, the discrimination will be greater. You have a beautiful voice; you are musical, intelligent, independent and handsome. With all of these ingredients, you are a threat. It will be more difficult for you than it was for me." However, the Met audience and critics responded favourably to Simon's house debut on January 4, 1982 as Hermann in Wagner's Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (opera)
Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
with Richard Cassilly
Richard Cassilly
Richard Cassilly was an American operatic tenor who had a major international opera career between 1954 and 1990...
in the title role and Leonie Rysanek
Leonie Rysanek
Leopoldine "Leonie" Rysanek was an Austrian dramatic soprano.-Biography:Rysanek was born in Vienna and made her operatic debut in 1949 in Innsbruck. In 1951 the Bayreuth Festival reopened and the new leader Wieland Wagner asked her to sing Sieglinde...
as Elisabeth.
Estes went on to sing in the next six consecutive seasons at the Met, portraying such roles as Amfortas in Wagner's Parsifal
Parsifal
Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, the 13th century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail, and on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail.Wagner first conceived the work...
and Orest in Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
's Elektra
Elektra (opera)
Elektra is a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal...
. In 1985, he sang Porgy in the Met's first production of Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
. In 1986, he sang Wotan in the inauguration of the legendary Ring production at the Metropolitan Opera directed by Otto Schenk
Otto Schenk
Otto Schenk is an Austrian actor, and theater and opera director.-Life and career:Schenk was born to Catholic parents. His father, a lawyer, had Jewish roots and therefore lost his job after the Anschluss in 1938...
. He returned to the Met in 1990 to sing Porgy again and for the last time in 1999 to portray Amonasro to Sharon Sweet
Sharon Sweet
Sharon Sweet is an American dramatic soprano. Sharon Sweet has appeared in leading roles in several major venues in Europe and the United States and has made notable contributions to several recordings, in particular Lohengrin, Der Freischütz, Don Giovanni, and Il Trovatore...
's Aida. Perhaps his greatest Met moment was singing the role of Amonasro to Price's Aida for her farewell opera performance which was telecast live on national television on January 3, 1985.
He is a National Patron of Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
, an international professional music fraternity.
Humanitarian work
Known for his humanitarian efforts, Estes has helped talented students attend the Juilliard SchoolJuilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
of Music in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, he has established the Simon Estes Educational Foundation which has awarded over one million dollars in merit-based college scholarships. The Simon Estes International Foundation for Children in Switzerland was established in 1993 and has saved lives by providing support for child health needs in Switzerland and Bulgaria.
During the 1998-99 school year, 40 musically gifted students from the Simon Estes School, serving some of the poorest children in South Africa, attended Des Moines-area high schools under the sponsorship of Rotary District 6000 and performed throughout Iowa as the Simon Estes South African Youth Chorus.
More recently, Estes turned his attention to the fight against HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, now the leading cause of death among African Americans. At the forefront of Artists for HIV/AIDS prevention and education, Estes leads a collective voice of artists, who through music and arts, seek to break down socio-economic barriers as well as the stigma associated with the disease.
On July 9th, 2010, he performed at the World Cup during the opening "Tribute to South Africa" at the FIFA Gala Concert in Johannesburg, South Africa. There he learned about the increasing problem of Malaria in South Africa and decided also to get engaged in the fight against this illness.
Educator
Estes is currently a professor of Music at Wartburg CollegeWartburg College
Wartburg College is a selective four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Waverly, Iowa. Wartburg West is in Denver, Colorado....
in Waverly, Iowa
Waverly, Iowa
Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,874 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
where he gives voice lessons when he is in residence. He has performed in Wartburg's Christmas concert, Christmas With Wartburg, and has been known to go on domestic and international spring tours with Wartburg's concert choir. He is listed on the artist faculty of Boston University and he is also the F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Artist in Residence at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
. His many honorary degrees include a doctorate from Iowa State University, and he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.