4/11/2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Roberta Peters, world-renowned operatic soprano, is the keynote speaker for "Kaleidoscope 2001: An Aria for Everyone's Life" on Thursday, April 26, at Michigan State University.
Peters, who has illuminated opera and concert stages as one of America's great artists, will perform for 30 minutes and then address the crowd about her 50-year operatic career.
The event, sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association, will be held at the Kellogg Center. Registration and continental breakfast begin at 8 a.m. Breakaway sessions will be held prior to the luncheon.
At 9 a.m. scholar and performer Elliot Engel, North Carolina State University, will use anecdotes, analysis and humor in a presentation discussing "The Dickens Nobody Knows." Engel is a past Kaleidoscope speaker who is being brought back by popular demand.
The luncheon, featuring Peters, begins at 1 p.m. Peters' performance begins at 2 p.m.
The Emporium, a distinctive shopping gallery of unique jewelry, gifts and artwork, will be available in the lobby for Kaleidoscope participants. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Kaleidoscope Emporium items will benefit the Mildred B. Erickson Fellowship. This fellowship encourages and assists women beyond the usual college age to begin or complete their education.
Kaleidoscope is an annual event the MSU Alumni Association offers to encourage women to achieve their goals. For more than 25 years, Kaleidoscope has obtained high-profile and substantive keynote speakers to help attract and motivate program participants and to increase community awareness of Michigan State University and the MSU Alumni Association.
The cost for Kaleidoscope is $55 for members of the MSU Alumni Association and $65 for nonmembers. Registration must be done by mail. No hand-delivered or online registration is available.
BREAKAWAY SESSIONS I - 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
The Joys of Collecting Fine Art
Roy Saper, Saper Gallery
East Lansing, Michigan
The Human Aura and Aura Photography
Tom Brown, M.A.
www.manylives.com
Preparing for and Dealing with Loss of a Pet
Bonnie Wheeler, M.A., CSW, LPC
Lansing, Michigan
Journeys of Love: International Adoption
Kathleen Lavey, Lansing State Journal
Lansing, Michigan
Taking A Chance: Awakening Your Creativity
Donna Ballinger
Bluffton, Indiana
Make-Up, Massage and More!
Douglas J Salon
Okemos, Michigan
Music Medicine: Enhancing Health Through Music
Dr. Frederick Tims, MSU School of Music
East Lansing, Michigan
The Real Deal: Always Be Yourself!
E. Sharon Banks, Ed. D, Superintendent Lansing School District
Lansing, Michigan
Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery and Skincare Techniques
Charles Rice, M.D. Lansing Ophthamology
East Lansing, Michigan
BREAKAWAY SESSIONS II - 11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m. �
Celebrating the Joy of Movement
Winalee Zeeb, Heartdance
Lansing, Michigan
Female Executives in A Male Dominated World
Panel Discussion
Designing and Planting a Low Maintenance Garden
Tom Smith, Grass Roots, Inc.
East Lansing, Michigan
From Victim to Survivor: Surviving a Traumatic Event
Michael Rogell, Ph.D., Phoenix Center for Recovery of Traumatic Stress
Lansing, Michigan
Facial Rejuvenation
Rick Smith, M.D., F.A.C.S., Michigan Plastic Surgery
Lansing, Michigan
An Introduction to the Dulcimer Songs and Tunes
Wanda Degen
East Lansing, Michigan
Accessorizing Your Wardrobe
Mary Kent, Febe-Ze
Okemos, Michigan
Wine Wisdom for the 21st Century
Joel Lichty, Veritas Wine Shop
East Lansing, Michigan
Personal Safety for Women
Sgt. Maureen K. Ramsey, MSU Police and Public Safety
East Lansing, Michigan
ROBERTA PETERS BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
A singer of incandescent vocal radiance, Roberta Peters has illuminated opera and concert stages as one of America's great artists of this century. Her beautiful voice, exceptional showmanship and winning charm have captivated a worldwide public since her sensational debut at the Metropolitan Opera when, as a completely unknown and unheralded New Yorker, she made a surprise debut as Zerlina in Mozart's "Don Giovanni." She immediately became one of the Metropolitan's most prized sopranos, noted especially for her coloratura roles.
Peters has maintained a tremendous schedule of concerts, recitals and personal appearances throughout her career. She has performed with the world's major orchestras, on major recital stages. During the fall of 2000 she completed a national recital tour, culminating at Alice Tully Hall as part of Lincoln Center's Great Performers series on Nov. 17, 2000 - the 50th anniversary to the day of her Metropolitan Opera debut.
Peters was born in New York City where as a young girl she exhibited an amazing natural voice, which attracted the attention of the famed tenor Jan Peerce. Upon his recommendation, she began voice lessons at the age of 13, deciding to make singing her career.
After six years of intensive study, the 19-year-old was offered a contract to make her debut as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "The Magic Flute." But fate decreed otherwise, and before her scheduled debut, Miss Peters replaced an indisposed colleague on six hours notice. She went on to achieve the longest tenure of any soprano in the history of the Metropolitan Opera.
Although opera has been the center of her artistic life, Peters also has been active in the fields of operetta and musical comedy, performing in "The King and I," Noel Coward's "Bittersweet," Lahar's "Merry Widow" and most recently as Maria in "The Sound of Music." Early in her career she had a featured role in the Hollywood production of the film "Tonight We Sing." In 1996, she returned to film with a role in Harold Becker's "City Hall" playing opposite Danny Aiello. Peters is also the author of a charming memoir, "Debut at the Met."
President John F. Kennedy first invited Peters to appear at the White House and she has appeared to sing for every president since. She twice represented the United States in the former Soviet Union and became the first American-born artist to receive the coveted Bolshoi Medal. She has traveled to China, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. She has often appeared in Israel, performing in a benefit concert for the Roberta Peters Scholarship Fund of Hebrew University in Tel Aviv.
Peters has been invited by many American colleges and universities, including Harvard, to give master classes. She holds honorary doctorates from Elmira, Ithaca, Westminster, Colby and New Rochelle Colleges, Lehigh and St. John's Universities and The University of Rhode Island. She serves as a trustee of Ithaca College, an overseer of Colby College and of Brooklyn College Performing Arts Center.
Peters has devoted herself to social causes such as the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, for which she has served as national chairperson. She has taken an active role in efforts by Congress to aid in more government funding for the arts and serves on the boards of the Metropolitan Opera Guild and the Carnegie Hall Corp. In 1991 she was appointed by President Bush to the National Council for the Arts and in 1998 was honored by President Clinton as a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts.