The Music in Him

The Music in Him

Simon Estes’ Iowa Roots Sprout Wings

Story by Terri Queck-Matzie, Photography by Paul Gates

It’s a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon, and the Nodaway Valley High School gym in Greenfield is awash with excitement. Chairs have been meticulously arranged in symmetrical rows. 

Sound checks have been completed. A chorus of warm-up scales rises and falls backstage. When the hands of the wire cage-encased clock above the basketball backboard reach the top of the hour, a hush comes over the room.

Simon Estes, in dark slacks and a crisp white shirt, walks onto the stage. The crowd rises to its feet in greeting. Then there is silence. Then the perfectly executed words “Our Father” open the show as Estes delivers the reverent “The Lord’s Prayer.” 

His voice is strong and clear. And powerful. He seems to effortlessly reach the high notes on “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and growl out the low notes on “Old Man River” with a barely perceptible quiver of his lower lip.

Seated next to a grand piano on the simple, makeshift stage, Estes fills the space with voluminous song while simultaneously making this Adair County gymnasium an intimate venue. 

He’ll perform a similar concert in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties as part of a three-year tour dubbed Roots & Wings. Half of his performance fees are donated to a scholarship fund — the Simon Estes Iowa Educational Foundation, Inc. — supporting young Iowans’ artistic and educational endeavors.

To date, 53 Iowa students are attending the college of their choice with the help of one of the Foundation’s scholarships. 

Deep Roots

A grand piano anchors the small studio in Ames. Framed honorary degrees and citations fill the walls. Bound musical scores and photos of dignitaries and lavishly costumed characters fill the shelves. Simon Estes fills the room.

With one shake of that great hand, one greeting uttered by that rich voice, Estes presents the stature expected of a world-renowned artist. At 73, the singer is acknowledged as one of the premier bass-baritones in the world.

He has taught at The Juilliard School of Music and in classrooms throughout Europe, Africa, South America, and the United States. He has performed for six U.S. presidents. He has graced the stage of every major opera house in nearly every country around the globe.

“I don’t feel like a star,” says Estes as a slow, reflective smile spreads across his face. “In my mind, I’m still that skinny boy from Centerville.”

Estes has strong, deep Iowa roots. The grandson of a slave who was sold for $500, he grew up in Appanoose County, singing in the church where his mother was the pianist and choir director.
 

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