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Opera Stars Samuel Ramey and Alan Held Join WSU Music Faculty

Voice and opera students at WSU will have the opportunity to study with two international opera stars beginning this fall.

Samuel Ramey, a renowned and celebrated opera talent and the most recorded bass in history, and Alan Held, an international opera star and one of the leading bass-baritone singing actors today, will join Wichita State's music faculty.

As announced in a press release on Tuesday, Ramey will have a daily presence on campus throughout the year.

"He has become a friend to our faculty," said Rodney Miller, dean of the College of Fine Arts. "Imagine what it means to a young aspiring singer to have one of the most recognized operatic figures of the last half-century coaching and encouraging you. Now imagine that presence on a daily basis."

Alan Held will join Wichita State as the Ann and Dennis Ross Faculty of Distinction in Opera.

"This is truly a red-letter day for our vocal program," said Miller. "The Ross' significant financial contribution to the College of Fine Arts makes Held's faculty position possible."

Both Ramey and Held are WSU alumni.

Hugo Phan is a Digital News Reporter at KMUW, and founding member of the KMUW Movie Club. After years of being a loyal listener, he signed up to be a KMUW volunteer and joined the station's college student group before becoming a digital assistant in 2013.