By Hunter H.R. No. 780
77R13053 MW-D
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost one of its cultural
1-2 treasures when internationally renowned operatic tenor Neil Wilson
1-3 Nease of Abilene passed away on August 21, 2000, at the age of 44;
1-4 and
1-5 WHEREAS, Mr. Nease, who adopted the stage name Neil Wilson,
1-6 sang in his hometown church and school choirs as a boy growing up
1-7 in Abilene; he graduated from Southwestern University and Oklahoma
1-8 City University before embarking on his operatic career in 1980 in
1-9 a performance of Verdi's Falstaff at Wolf Trap; and
1-10 WHEREAS, In 1984, this esteemed Texan first sang in Carnegie
1-11 Hall in Dom Sebastian with Opera Orchestra of New York; a year
1-12 later he received international acclaim performing in Werther at
1-13 the Wurttembergische Staatsoper in Stuttgart, which became his
1-14 signature role as he was heard throughout the world in such cities
1-15 as Hamburg, Bologna, Buenos Aires, and Toronto, among others; and
1-16 WHEREAS, Highlights of his brilliant career include five
1-17 seasons with The Metropolitan Opera, work with The Met in the
1-18 Parks, and appearances with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the
1-19 Salzburg Festival; a member of many famous opera companies
1-20 performing in cities worldwide, Mr. Nease was chosen in 1990 to be
1-21 leading tenor at the Komische Oper in Berlin, where he sang more
1-22 than 150 performances and toured internationally as Hoffmann and
1-23 Don Jose; and
1-24 WHEREAS, In February 2000, Mr. Nease reached a long-desired
2-1 milestone when he expanded his repertoire to include the Wagnerian
2-2 Heldentenor roles, beginning with his first, Siegmund in Die
2-3 Walkure in Budapest; at the time of his death, he had contracts
2-4 through the 2003 season for complete Ring Cycles in Meinigen and
2-5 Budapest, as well as Florestan in Lucerne and Saarbrucken, Dimitri
2-6 in Boris Godunov in Kassel, and Edmund in Lear in Innsbruck; and
2-7 WHEREAS, During his distinguished operatic career, Mr. Nease
2-8 won the prestigious Wagner Prize from the Liederkranz Foundation,
2-9 the Baltimore International Operatic Competition, and the Rosa
2-10 Ponselle International Competition; he received grants from the
2-11 Sullivan Foundation and the Gerda Lissner Foundation, and
2-12 productions of Werther and Carmen, in which he sang tenor leads,
2-13 won Opera Welt's Production of The Season Prize; and
2-14 WHEREAS, In addition to garnering honors throughout the
2-15 world, he also had many colleagues and friends who respected and
2-16 admired him for his enormous talent and sense of values; his
2-17 lasting legacy will be greatly treasured by many as his spirit
2-18 undoubtedly will live on in the hearts of the countless people
2-19 whose lives he so deeply touched; now, therefore, be it
2-20 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-21 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Neil Wilson Nease and
2-22 extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife,
2-23 Linda Mungia-Wilson; to his mother, Shirley Nease; to his brother
2-24 Nathan Nease and his wife, Belinda; to his sister Nancy Fisher and
2-25 her husband, Bruce Weir; to his sister Nora Del Bosque and her
2-26 husband, Eloy; to his brother Nelson Nease; to his brother Noel
2-27 Nease and his wife, Melissa; and to his five nephews, one niece,
3-1 other relatives, many friends, and myriad admirers; and, be it
3-2 further
3-3 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-4 prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
3-5 Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Neil
3-6 Wilson Nease.