Honoring Eugene Conley

Eugene ConleyWhen Rick Bogart ('74) first came to North Texas, he was astounded that tenor Eugene Conley was an artist-in-residence.

Bogart, a jazz clarinetist and vocalist, has compiled the CD Air Checks, which features Conley's opera recordings. Conley had frequently performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in the 1950s, and he sang on The Voice of Firestone and Cavalcade of Stars programs. He served as artist-in-residence from 1960 to 1978. Bogart kept up with him until Conley's death in 1981 and spent 10 years putting the CD together.

"I couldn't believe that he would take me as a student, but I learned plenty from him," Bogart says. "I was thrilled to be a student and his friend."