81R6385 MG-D
By: Hughes H.C.R. No. 31
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, A gifted opera singer, Barbara Smith Conrad has been
delighting audiences for the past four decades, achieving worldwide
acclaim and recognition; and
WHEREAS, Raised in the East Texas community of Center Point,
Barbara Smith began exploring music as a child; she and her siblings
practiced playing a variety of genres on their family's piano, from
sonatas by Mozart to the gospel hymns they heard at their local
Baptist church; she went on to attend The University of Texas at
Austin, and as a sophomore, she won the lead role in the campus
production of Dido and Aeneas; however, in an incident that drew
national attention, Ms. Smith was advised by school administrators
that she could not perform in the opera; despite an offer from actor
Harry Belafonte to underwrite her studies at the institution of her
choice, she chose to remain at the university and earned her
bachelor's degree in music from UT in 1959; and
WHEREAS, Pursuing a career as a vocalist in the years that
followed, she took her father's first name, Conrad, and toured with
various opera groups; in 1977, she was cast as Marian Anderson in
the ABC television movie, Eleanor and Franklin: The White House
Years; she also garnered praise for her work in the Houston Grand
Opera production of Carmen, and she became a performer with the
prestigious Metropolitan Opera from 1982 to 1989; this exceptional
mezzo-soprano continued to play leading roles with the Vienna State
Opera, New York City Opera, Teatro Nacional de Venezuela,
Pittsburgh Opera, and others throughout the United States, Canada,
Europe, and South America; moreover, she has been accompanied by
such celebrated orchestras as the New York Philharmonic and the
symphonies of London, Boston, Cleveland, and Detroit; and
WHEREAS, In 1984, Ms. Conrad returned to her alma mater to
lend her voice for the premiere of Al-Inkishafi, and the following
year, she was named a Distinguished Alumnus by the Ex-Students'
Association of The University of Texas; she has also been honored
with invitations to sing at the White House for Lady Bird Johnson's
75th birthday and to perform for Pope John Paul II during his visit
to New York City in 1995; and
WHEREAS, Today, among her other pursuits, Ms. Conrad spends
time at her vocal studio in Manhattan and works closely with the
Manhattan School of Music as the cofounder and codirector of its
Wagner Theater Program; she also regularly participates in the
Distinguished Alumnus Awards at UT, where she often sings "The Eyes
of Texas"; fittingly, the university has created an endowed
presidential scholarship in fine arts in Ms. Conrad's name, and in
2005, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at UT announced
the Endowment for the Study of the American Spiritual, for which Ms.
Conrad serves as the national ambassador; she released a recording
of spirituals in 1995 with the choir of the Convent Avenue Baptist
Church and remains dedicated to preserving this art form; and
WHEREAS, With talent and perseverance, Barbara Smith Conrad
has become a world-renowned mezzo-soprano, and in realizing her
dreams, she is an inspiration to countless individuals; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby commend Barbara Smith Conrad on her accomplished musical
career and her role in the movement toward civil rights in the
United States of America, and extend to her sincere best wishes for
continued success and happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Conrad as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives and Senate.