On Friday, January 9th, 2026 the National Opera Association announced the launch of the Barbara Hill Moore Fund at the 30th Anniversary celebration of the organization’s Legacy Initiative. The fund honors the contributions of Barbara Hill Moore, Associate Dean of the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, longtime friend of the National Opera Association, and a Lift Every Voice Legacy Award recipient.

The Barbara Hill Moore Fund has been launched to provide support for students and educators from HBCU and HSI-designated institutions to attend and fully participate in the NOA National Conference. Set up as a challenge opportunity, the seed money was gifted to NOA by Hill Moore along with the challenge of raising $5,000 from donors. Once this $5,000 challenge is met, Hill Moore will gift additional monies to the fund. NOA is currently $1,700 away from unlocking this generous gift from Hill Moore.

From the announcement speech given by Immediate Past-President Isaí Jess Muñoz:

“For more than four decades—since 1984—Barbara has been deeply connected to the life of this organization. She has served NOA through three separate rotations on the Board of Directors, chaired the Carolyn Bailey Argento Vocal Competition for well over a decade, and has been a steadfast advocate for artistic excellence, thoughtful leadership, and equitable access across higher education and the operatic field.

Across the years, numerous students trained, mentored, and championed by Barbara Hill Moore have gone on to become recipients of the very Legacy Prizes we celebrate. From those earliest days—alongside those who helped envision and build the Legacy Project—Barbara Hill Moore has been there. Engaged not as an observer, but as a believer. A steady and sustaining presence whose commitment to this work has never wavered.

Barbara’s work has always been guided by a simple but profound conviction: that talent deserves opportunity, and that being in the room matters.”

If you are inspired by Barbara's commitment to access, you can contribute to The Barbara Hill Moore fund here.

In 2025, Barbara was interviewed for the National Opera Association's Oral History Project, a part of NOA's Legacy Project that captures the groundbreaking careers of African-American artists in the field of opera. Watch Barbara’s interview for the National Opera Association’s Legacy Project here.

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