Simon Estes

Simon Estes

World-renowned opera singer Simon Estes will receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Wartburg College on Sunday, May 27, during the college’s Commencement.

The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Hoover Fieldhouse & Track in the Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center.

An Iowa native, Estes made his professional operatic debut in 1965 at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. Since then, he has sung more than 100 roles, a distinction held by few opera singers. Estes has performed for six U.S. presidents, South African leaders Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and twice for Pope John Paul II.

He joined the Wartburg faculty in 2002 as distinguished professor and artist-in-residence. During his 14-year tenure, Estes performed with Wartburg music ensembles and worked with students in master classes and private voice lessons. He also has held faculty positions at five other schools, including The Juilliard School of Music.

In addition to education and music pursuits, Estes is passionate about a number of philanthropic endeavors. He has raised scholarship funds through his two foundations and Roots and Wings—a 99-county concert tour of Iowa. He also partners with the United Nations Foundation to raise funds to eliminate malaria in Africa, an effort that earned him the United Nations Lifetime Impact Award.

Estes earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Iowa and has been awarded nine honorary doctorates. He is the recipient of the Iowan Award, the state’s highest honor, and the Puccini Foundation’s Baccarat Award for achievement in the arts.