Michael Austin as Otello
A performance by renowned international opera star Michael Austin highlights the fall season of the McGlothlin Center for the Arts at Emory & Henry College. Austin is recognized for his exceptional portrayal of Otello, becoming the first African American tenor to sing the role in a U.S. opera house.
Austin, a 1975 graduate of Emory & Henry, performs Sunday, Oct. 15, at 3 p.m. on the Kennedy-Reedy stage. At that time, he is also honored with the college’s first Legacy of the Arts Award, which recognizes artists, performers and others who have, through their talents and contributions, extended the E&H reputation for arts excellence.
Hailing from Wytheville, Virginia, Austin pursued music studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts and The Julliard School of Music after graduating from Emory & Henry in 1975. As a result of his success, he was named an Outstanding Apprentice Artist at the Santa Fe Opera Festival.
In 2023-24, he will perform 25 concerts throughout Asia. Starting in Atlanta in February, he also will tour with his son, Justin Michael Austin, an acclaimed singer who has performed at, among other venues, The Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Washington National Opera and the Munich State Opera.
Tickets for the Austin concert are $40. Tickets for other guest performances are $25. Tickets are available by calling 276-944-6333 or by going online to www.ehc.edu/mca/tickets.
