UK Opera Talents Lend Their Voices to Phyllis George Memorial
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 29, 2020) — A memorial for former First Lady of Kentucky Phyllis George was broadcast Monday, May 25, for viewers across the Commonwealth by KET (Kentucky Educational Television). The livestreamed ceremony, held in the state’s Capitol, gave citizens across Kentucky an opportunity to remember the life and many accomplishments of George during a time when only a limited number could attend due to safety restrictions in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The memorial held in the Capitol Rotunda commemorated the life and work of the beloved businesswoman, actress, Miss America, TV host, news anchor, pioneering sportscaster and first lady. Known for her championing of Kentucky’s artists on a national stage, it was not surprising the ceremony included several musical performances by noted vocalists with connections to the state.
Among the musicians featured in “A Capitol Farewell: Phyllis Ann George” were four of UK Opera Theatre’s faculty and alumni. UK Opera Theatre Director Everett McCorvey, alumnus and Director of the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center Whit Whitaker and alumna Dione Johnson Napier opened the ceremony with the state song. Other songs performed included “Amazing Grace” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The UK vocalists were accompanied by Tedrin Blair Lindsay on the piano. In addition to the performers with UK ties, Broadway veteran and Kentucky native Laura Bell Bundy performed two songs virtually from her home in California. Lindsay closed out the program playing “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” which George played when competing in Miss America.
To watch the memorial in its entirety, visit KET online at: www.ket.org/program/phyllis-george-memorial/.
UK Opera Theatre is part of the School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The school has garnered a national reputation for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, music therapy, composition, and theory and music history.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.