Centerville native Simon Estes, known for his acclaimed opera performances and philanthropic work, has toured opera houses across the globe, has sung for kings and queens and has raised more than $220,000 to date in scholarships for Iowans in 54 counties.
Estes, who is the F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Artist-in-Residence in Iowa State University’s music and theatre departments, will see his career immortalized further with the renaming of Music Hall at Iowa State University to the Simon Estes Music Hall.
On this “news buzz” edition of River to River, host Ben Kieffer sits down with Estes to discuss his decades of touring and his deep Iowa roots.
During this podcast, we also hear about major statehouse news from the week, encouraging results from a new cover crop study, and a look at what a 30-day period of travel cancellation from the Iowa Board of Regents will mean for students and faculty across the state.
Guests:
- Josh Lehman - senior communications director, Board of Regents
- Amy Mayer- agriculture reporter, Iowa Public Radio
- Katarina Sostaric - state government reporter, Iowa Public Radio
- Andrew Wind – staff writer covering Cedar Falls, Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
- Simon Estes - F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Iowa State
- Mark Simmet – Studio One host, Iowa Public Radio
