The state of Pennsylvania is touting its own Horne – Marilyn
Horne, that is.
Bradford’s Horne will receive the 2005 Distinguished Arts Award
from Gov. Ed Rendell as part of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts.
The award honors outstanding artists, arts organizations and
patrons in the state for their excellence and achievement in the
arts.
Horne, a critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano, was born in
Bradford and now lives in Santa Barbara, Calif. She was traveling
out of state Tuesday and was not available for comment by press
time.
“Pennsylvania has a rich cultural heritage and we continue to
build on that foundation,” Rendell said. “This year’s talented and
visionary awardees represent the significant contributions made to
our Commonwealth by the members of Pennsylvania’s cultural
community.”
Having been called the “Star Spangled Singer” and the “Heifetz
of singers,” Horne’s early life in Bradford was a clear indication
of what was to come.
The daughter of Bentz and Berneice Horne, Horne lived on Avenue
B. For the first 11 years of her life, she performed recitals,
including those in Veterans Square with the Citizens Band.
By her own admission, Horne – who was called “Jackie” as a child
-ðcould sing songs at a piano before her second birthday. By the
age of 4, she sang at a rally for Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Many years later, Horne sang at President Bill Clinton’s first
inauguration.
In 2002, the Opera News said, “Marilyn Horne -ðwhose face and
song had been in the light -ðin so many places, in so many styles,
through so many media, for so many years – may be the most
influential singer in American history.”
She first came into the public spotlight as the dubbed voice of
Dorothy Dandridge in the motion picture Carmen Jones in 1954, the
same year she made her debut in Los Angeles as Hata in The Bartered
Bride.
Last year marked several milestones in Horne’s career, including
the 50th anniversary of her operatic debut at 20 years of age and
the 10th anniversary of both the Marilyn Horne Foundation and her
position as chair of the voice department at the Music Academy of
the West, of which she is an alumnus.
She also released her updated autobiography, “The Song
Continues” and a two-CD compilation titled “Just for the Record –
The Golden Voice of Marilyn Horne.”
She continues to keep busy with concerts, recitals and
teaching.
President Clinton named her a Kennedy Center honoree in 1995. In
1992, she received the National Medal of the Arts from President
George H.W. Bush and the Endowment for the Arts.
In October 2000, Horne returned to Bradford where Marilyn Horne
Way – a street around the square she sang in as a child – was named
in her honor.
She also opened the season for the Bradford Creative and
Performing Arts Center and received the Presidential Medal of
Distinction from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
BCPAC named its annual award – the Jackie Award – after Horne.
The award is given annually to an individual or organization that
has contributed admirably to the fine or performing arts.
Her worldwide honors include the Commander of the Order Arts and
Letters from France’s Ministry of Culture, the Commendatore al
Merito della Repubblica Italiana, the Fidelio Gold Medal from the
International Association of Opera Directors and the Covent Garden
Silver Medal for Outstanding Service.
Horne’s international success in the most difficult of
mezzo-soprano roles led to the revival of many of Rossini’s and
Handel’s greatest operas. In an unprecedented move, Horne received
Italy’s first Rossini Medaglia d’Oro, created especially for
her.
After 26 years as a leading lady at the Metropolitan Opera, she
received many academic awards, including numerous honorary
doctorates from schools such as Juilliard School and Johns Hopkins
University. In 1999, she was inducted into the American Classical
Music Hall of Fame. In 2001, Horne received a Lifetime Achievement
Grammy Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences. She was also inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of
Fame.
Most recently, she received a lifetime achievement award from
Gramophone, a London-based magazine.
In an interview with The Era to mark her 70th birthday last
year, Horne spoke about her life.
“It’s been a very, very full life and very blessed,” she said.
“I am grateful for all of it … I feel very humble about it.”
Past honorees of the award, which recognizes a Pennsylvania
artist of international fame or renown whose creations and
contributions enrich the Commonwealth. include actor Jimmy Stewart
and film director M. Night Shyamalan.
Honorees will receive the awards at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 18 at The
Palace Theatre in Greensburg.
