Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015
1:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Weger Auditorium
Paris Junior High School
2400 Jefferson Rd.
Jay Hunter Morris will lead a special master class on the art of singing for Paris High School, North Lamar High School, and Paris Junior College. The public is invited to attend. This is a very special opportunity to see one of the world’s leading opera singers mentor our emerging artists.
Jay Hunter Morris graduated from Paris High School in 1981. He began his acting and singing performances under the direction of Karol Davis and Virginia Jessee. He continued his education at Paris Junior College and Baylor University, earning a bachelor of music education degree. He later earned a master of music in vocal performance at Southern Methodist University, and studied for two years at the Julliard School of Music in New York City.
Morris’ interest in opera surfaced when a friend invited him to see “La Traviata” in Dallas, and he was inspired after meeting famed tenor, Alfredo Kraus. Morris began to study classical music and opera performance and joined the chorus at Dallas Opera to gain experience. Soon, he began singing small roles and then was cast in the tenor role in Terrance McNally’s “Master Class,” a role he played for more than two years on Broadway.
The role of Siegfried in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, a very difficult and lengthy role very few tenors can sing, brought Morris international acclaim and attention. In 2009, Morris was invited to understudy Siegfried at Seattle Opera. The following year he covered both Siegfried and Siegmund at Los Angeles Opera.
He was then invited to sing Siegfried at San Francisco Opera in 2011, and perhaps most famously, at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011-12. The production was broadcast live to cinemas worldwide, continues to play on PBS, and won Jay a 2012 Grammy for Best Opera Recording.
He has created roles in seven world premiere operas as well as his role in "Master Class", which was awarded the 1995 Tony Award for Best Play. His career highlights include performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Seattle, Santiago, Santa Fe, San Diego, San Francisco, Toronto, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Hawaii, Paris, Monte Carlo, Tokyo, Nice, Vienna, Strasbourg, and Valencia.
Morris recently published his first book, “Diary of a Redneck Opera Zinger.”
Jay Hunter Morris was named a 2015 Distinguished Graduate and his portrait hangs on the Wall of Honor in the commons area at Paris High School.
He and his dancer-singer-actress wife, Meg Gillentine, live in Roswell, Georgia, with their son Cooper Jack.
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