Lecture By Beverly Sills Begins “Year of the Arts”

Sills will address “The State of the Arts” at 11 a.m. in Wait Chapel. Admission is free and open to the public.

The event marks the beginning of Wake Forest’s Year of the Arts, a year-long celebration of the arts including concerts, a symposium, visiting artists and numerous other special events.

During her brilliant career as a soprano, Sills performed more than 70 operatic roles with all of the world’s major opera companies. She has been general director of the New York City Opera, with which she sang for many years, and served as managing director of the Metropolitan Opera.

An articulate and impassioned champion of public arts funding, Sills has been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She has served on the President’s Task Force on the Arts and has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Among Sills’ many awards are two Emmys for the BBC’s “Profiles in Music: Beverly Sills” and NBC’s “Lifestyles with Beverly Sills.” She also has won national acclaim for her PBS presentations of “In Performance at the White House,” “Gala of the Stars,” and “Skylines with Beverly Sills.” She is the best-selling author of “Bubbles: A Self Portrait,” “Bubbles: An Encore,” and “Beverly: An Autobiography.”

For more information, call 759-5788.