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The Wilfred C. Bain Opera Fellowship
Wilfred Bain served as dean of the School of Music from 1947 to 1973. Born in 1908 in Quebec, Canada,
Dean Bain soon became interested in music and began its study at an early age with the ambition of
becoming a concert pianist. He earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Music and the Diploma in Piano
from Houghton College, New York, in 1929. He pursued further study at Westminster Choir College, where he
became thoroughly engrossed in the study of conducting and the training of choral organizations. There,
he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in voice in 1931. He went on to New York University to earn the
degrees of Master of Arts in Music in 1935 and Doctor of Education in Music three years later. In the
midst of pursuing his formal education, he taught at Houghton College, toured the country with choral
groups, and finally moved to the Southwest where he became chairman of the Music Department of North
Texas State College. There, he conducted choral works and operas. Upon coming to Indiana University, Dean
Bain continued his activities as choral conductor, but to a lesser degree. Among the foremost
accomplishments of Dean Bain's administration was to assemble a faculty and student body of scholars and
performing artists second to none.
Initiated by Dean Bain in 1994, the Dean Wilfred Bain Opera Fellowship is awarded annually to voice
students at IU School of Music who possess special singing talent and who wish to prepare for a
professional opera stage singing career.
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