Acclaimed Soprano is Hailed for Mentorship of Students and Faculty in UMD School of Music
The press has called her “the elegant American soprano Linda Mabbs, acclaimed for the excellence and versatility of her performances”. Ms. Mabbs has performed with some of the world’s leading orchestras, collaborated with esteemed conductors and presented recitals in some of the finest venues throughout the world. But when she is in her role as professor of voice for the UMD School of Music, her attention is completely on her students and preparing them for their own careers.
Because of that student focus, Ms. Mabbs has been awarded UMD’s 2012-2013 Board of Regents Faculty Award for Mentoring, the University’s most prestigious faculty service award. Chancellor William E. Kirwan remarked during the presentation that although this award was given in recognition of her mentoring of students and faculty, Mabbs could have easily been recognized for her scholarly and artistic work as well.
Mabbs works extensively with students and faculty in the School of Music, serving as dissertation chair or thesis advisor to over 75 graduate students, who say Mabbs is known for always having her door open to any student in need of advice or answers. Her leadership in producing the 2012 Art of Argento Festival, and her leading role in the opera Miss Havisham’s Fire brought acclaim from top music critics and broadened awareness of the music of Dominick Argento, the leading American composer of lyric opera and choral music.
Named a Distinguished Scholar/Teacher by the University of Maryland in 2000, Professor Mabbs has taught master classes around the world. She is also the recipient of the National Opera Institute Achievement Award, and has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Aaron Copland Fund, The Maryland Arts Council, and the Creative and Performing Arts Board and Graduate Research Board of the University of Maryland.
The Regents' Faculty Awards publicly recognize distinguished performance on the part of faculty members and is the highest honor presented by the Board of Regents. It is presented to exemplary faculty who have distinguished themselves in the areas of teaching, research and scholarship, and service. Awardees are selected by the Council of University System Faculty, and presented with a plaque and a $1,000 cash award.
Brava, Professor Mabbs!