What: UNT Opera presents In Honor of Paula Homer, a tribute to the former director, with music from her favorite operas.
When: 3 p.m. Sept. 25 (Sunday).
Where: Lyric Theater, located in the in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 Interstate 35E, Denton.
Cost: Free.
Parking: Free parking will be available in the lot next to the MPAC, with overflow parking available in lots 4 and 26. View the UNT parking map.
More information: For a complete list of UNT College of Music events, including faculty and student recitals, visit the College of Music online calendar and connect with the College of Music on Facebook at and on Twitter at @UNTCoM.
DENTON (UNT), Texas - The University of North Texas College of Music's UNT Opera will pay tribute to former Opera Director Paula Homer with the presentation of In Honor of Paula Homer, a night of music from the longtime director's past productions and favorite operas.
The free performance will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 25 (Sunday) in the Lyric Theater, located in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 Interstate 35E, Denton.
Homer joined the UNT College of Music faculty in 1992 and retired earlier this year. During her tenure at UNT, Homer stage directed more than 50 full productions and worked with more than 1,000 students. Three of her productions were awarded first place awards from the National Opera Association.
"Professor Paula Homer is a wonderful woman. She really started the opera program at UNT. I am so glad that we are doing this concert to honor all the years she gave and all the love she gave to her students," said Claire Choquette, opera student. "So often opera is technique driven, but she brought a human side to opera. She is a beautiful human being who had a big impact on my life."
Choquette will perform "Ah, Michele, don't you know" from Gian Carlo Menotti's The Saint of Bleecker Street, one of Homer's favorite operas. She also will participate in the closing selection from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. The concert will feature selections from Gounod's Romeo and Juliet and Blitzstein's Regina, as well as scenes from other award-winning operas.
Homer led the charge to grow the UNT Opera program, working to hire more faculty and create a dedicated performance space. In 2012, Homer was selected as the first Margot and Bill Winspear Chair in Opera Studies, after the college received a $1.5 million gift from the estate of the late philanthropist Bill Winspear.
"Paula's commitment to her students was complete and single-minded," said Stephen Dubberly, UNT Opera music director. "She often avoided the spotlight and never sought to enhance her own reputation. Instead, she poured her life into the lives of her students."
About the UNT College of Music
The UNT College of Music is one of the world's largest and most respected comprehensive music schools. The college offers fully accredited degrees from the bachelor's to doctoral levels and is home to the world's first jazz studies program. The music faculty is made up of internationally acclaimed artists and scholars in composition, conducting, ethnomusicology, music education, music history, music theory and performance. The College of Music enriches the community by producing more than 1,000 diverse concerts and recitals annually. Distinguished UNT music alumni can be found around the globe in impressive, award-winning careers across a wide-range of music professions.