The Starbucks cart and lounge areas were cleared out of the Meadows atrium on Friday afternoon and replaced with tables and benches to serve as a reception and lecture area for Professor Barbara Hill-Moore, who gave a speech titled “True to My Own Voices: Ethical Challenges in Transmitting Talent.”

Starting off with a reception where food and beverages were served, the presentation began with English professor Bonnie Hill introducing her close friend, Professor Hill-Moore, a voice teacher at SMU. Professor Hill pointed out that in addition to being the department head from 1977 to 1992, Professor Hill-Moore is the only black woman who is a full professor at SMU, of which she declared, “shame on us” for SMU’s lack of diversity in the faculty.

Amid profound applause, Professor Hill-Moore ascended the podium to give her speech. She explained, “It is my privilege to recognize talent,” and therefore views herself as “a teacher who sings, not a singer who teaches.”

She went on to discuss modern challenges in teaching voice students. Many schools are becoming much more selective, only accepting students who have had previous training in voice or the piano. However, she stated, “Such a philosophy would have eliminated me and many students I have recruited.”

She maintained that by implementing these requirements, many disadvantaged students would not be able to reach their full potential, citing a few of her former students as examples.

In intervals during her speech, Professor Hill-Moore would pause for her students to sing a variety of selections while accompanied by the piano. Finally, at the end of her talk, Professor Hill sang for the audience, which thanked her with a standing ovation.