Historical

Robert Todd Duncan (known as Todd Duncan) was born on February 12,1903 in Danville, Kentucky. He was an American opera singer, actor, and voice teacher.

Oren Brown (April 13, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was a world renowned American voice pedagogue and voice teacher. He was born in Somerville, Massachusetts and earned a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance and a master’s degree in music composition from Boston University.

Sylvia Olden Lee was born in 1917 in Meridian, Mississippi. Her mother, Sylvia Alice Ward, was an accomplished opera singer and her father, James Olden, was a minister and classical singer. At the age of 5, Olden Lee began performing and learning to play the piano.

Pier Francesco Tosi (approximately 1653-1732) was a male soprano, singing teacher, composer, and author. He has been called the “Grandfather of Bel Canto.” A trailblazer

“For true singing artists, when the moment of performance arrives, the act of singing should be an act of faith. They should be able to

“Don was part of a world that can often be filled with pretense, but he had none of it. He was welcoming and kind, and

James C. McKinney was an American baritone and voice teacher. He was born on January 11, 1921 in Minden, Louisiana and died in Fort Worth, Texas on April 12, 1998.