Representatives of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford were working hard on Wednesday to prepare for the crowd expected when the long-awaited Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibition Center finally opens its doors to the public on Saturday.
The famous Bradford native will be in the company of family and friends when a dedication ceremony in her honor is held at 2 p.m. Saturday, followed by tours at the museum and a dedication performance on the university’s campus.
On Wednesday, students and staff from the university were practicing giving tours through the center, which is located on the first floor of Pitt-Bradford’s Marilyn Horne Hall at Veteran’s Square.
In addition to the museum space, there is a theater, an assembly room and a coffee/gift shop. Also on the floor will be the new office for the Bradford Creative & Performing Arts Center, as well as the office for the incoming museum manager, Matthew Hileman, whose official start date is May 15.
To enjoy the museum, visitors do not have to be opera aficionados. The space is as much the life story of a woman as it is a description of the artist’s career.
“This is truly a gift from Marilyn Horne,” said Rhett Kennedy, director of auxiliary services at Pitt-Bradford, who explained that many places sought the items she donated to the local university.
The theater on site has a design based on two of Horne’s favorite places to perform, according to Dr. Josh Groffman, music professor at Pitt-Bradford.
Visitors on Saturday will see a brief film that tells her life narrative, beginning with a little girl in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The film highlights landmarks in her life and shows clips from many of her performances.
Meanwhile, offerings at the gift/coffee shop will include Starbucks coffee, Pitt-Bradford items and, of course, Marilyn Horne-related gifts such as CDs, books and T-shirts, said Courtney Mealy, arts programming assistant at Pitt-Bradford.
Food — “grab and go” items like sandwiches and snacks — will be provided by Starbucks and by Metz, the company in charge of the university’s food service, she said. Also offered will be Dan Smith’s chocolates from nearby Ridgway.
She said that free samples of muffins and coffee will be available on Saturday.
According to Patty Colosimo, director for arts programming at the university, the assembly room at the facility holds between 50 and 80 people, and it will be a space that groups can rent for events, or tours can stop to rest. Entry into the museum will be free.
On Saturday, refreshments will be served in the space. Visitors will hear about the history of the building, she said. Colosimo explained that the historical Bradford building was returned to an art deco design, along the lines of its original design.
All of Saturday’s events are free and open to the public.
The dedication ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. in front of the Marilyn Horne Hall. There will be tents to provide protection from the weather, and the event will last between 45 minutes to an hour.
Immediately after the dedication, tours of the museum will begin.
“Typically, a tour of the museum can take about three hours,” said Kennedy. However, he explained that time will be cut down to about 12 minutes on Saturday so everyone will get a chance to see the space.
Members of the community are invited to come enjoy the festivities on Saturday, then return on a different day to take a more leisurely walk through.
Among the memorabilia on display are photographs, gowns, posters, musical scores with handwritten notes and even a handwritten schedule showing how busy the singer’s days were.
There are handsets on the wall where visitors can listen to Horne talking about her life, as well as a jukebox to hear the array of genres she has sang during her career — which included more than just the opera music for which she is known.
“She liked to sing what people wanted to hear,” explained Kennedy.
At 5 p.m. will be a musical performance in Horne’s honor in the Bromeley Family Theater at Blaisdell hall on the university campus.
There will be special performances by soprano Julie Davies and bass DeAndre Simmons, with accompaniment by pianist Martin Katz.
A reception will follow the performance in the lobby.
Parking near the museum will be available in the Church of the Ascension lot, the city lot off Pine Street, the university’s upper lot off West Corydon Street and the First Presbyterian Church on East Corydon Street.
