Page 31 - Classical Singer Magazine November/December 2019

Most of us know Jay Hunter Morris as Siegfried in the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD Der Ring des N ibelungen. Many of us have also seen and heard him as Captain Ahab in Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick. Here, he tells of family life behind the scenes and how he manages to combine the roles of husband and father with singing opera.
“On matters of family, betrothal, spouses, life partners, it is widely agreed that I am the luckiest, most blessed of all men,” Morris says. “I have been married for 11 years
to Meg Gillentine. We met and became friends in New York City in the mid-90s when I was performing in the play Master Class and she was dancing and singing on Broadway while attending New York University.
“Many years later when we were both doing shows in Los Angeles,” he continues, “she su ered a critical lapse in judgment and granted me a date. Meg appears often on TV and in movies and commercials. She has performed on stages all over the country, my personal favorites among her shows being Cabaret, Damn Yankees, and Fosse.
“Precious few of us y rst class, have recording contracts, wear tailored designer clothes, or dine at the most trendy spots. Our daily grind is rarely seen on the social feed.”
She builds custom furniture with her own hands, she blows glass, tools leather, choreographs opera, welds, volunteers at the PTA, designs jewelry, throws pottery.
“Most di cult of all,” he says, “she babysits and coddles a neurotic singer. Now, she gracefully leads the charge in raising a child. She is the great adventurer and she is fearless. A cancer survivor and thriver, she is the nest human being I’ve ever met.
“Ten years ago, our son Cooper Jack Morris entered the fray,” Morris recalls. “We travelled together extensively, our little trio, chasing both Meg’s career and mine. Early on we entertained the notion that Cooper would be ‘world schooled.’ It sounded so glamorous and romantic and wonderfully evolved, but sooner or later somebody has to teach this child basic math and good English—and it ain’t gonna be me! Our best choice was to settle outside of Atlanta, just down the road from Bubbe (Meg’s mom), in a great school district where we leave the majority of the teaching to the professionals.
“Cooper is now in the fth grade and how he shines,” he says. “He is his own little dude. He carries his own
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