As one of the Thornton School's most distinguished alumni and the world's most popular performers, Marilyn Horne, BM '53, has received numerous accolades and honors in the arts as well as academia. Her performance career included 25 years with the Metropolitan Opera and 35 years at the San Francisco Opera. She has many national and international awards to her credit, including the National Medal of the Arts, the medal of Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Ministry of Culture, the Fidelio Gold Medal from the International Association of Opera Directors and several Grammy Awards. A Kennedy Center honoree, she recently founded The Marilyn Horne Foundation, dedicated to the art of the vocal recital and presentation of young singers in recital. Ms. Horne currently serves as vocal program director at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara.