Students of the SMU Meadows School of the Arts have always had the chance to learn from some of the best in the business. Now, a celebrity and icon of the opera world has been selected to be the new chair of the voice department and best of all, he knows what's best for SMU. After all, he's a former Mustang himself.

Clifton Forbis came to SMU in 1990 to complete his Master of Music degree as a student of Thomas Hayward. Since then, he has gone on to become a world-renowned operatic tenor, performing at home and abroad with some of the best music companies in the world.

Aside from performing some of the most demanding tenor repertoire in opera, Forbis is also commonly seen giving recitals and concerts throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has performed with the Fort Worth Symphony, the Chicago Symphony and the Boston Symphony, just to name a few.

"Clifton Forbit has an international reputation in the opera field, and we are thrilled to have someone of his caliber and accomplishments as our new head of voice," said Jose Bowen, dean of the Meadows School. "The fact that he is an alumnus of our program, having earned a master's degree in vocal performance at Meadows in 1990, will make him even more of an inspiration to our students."