Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium in the Library of the Performing Arts has a bullet-proof policy of selectivity, and has unquestionably distinguished itself by consistently presenting events of extraordinary quality, interest, and significance. Early in October, a one-time-only very special Sunday afternoon program was offered to a standing-room-only audience, “Roland Hayes, the Legacy of an American Tenor: A Concert and Panel Discussion,” which combined intellectual substance and artistic illumination in a way that this writer cannot imagine being bettered. The principal topic of the afternoon was, of course, the art and life of Roland Hayes, who was a pivotal force in bringing the African American classical singer to the main stages of the world. His fine tenor voice and sensitive style created an extraordinary demand for his performances of the standard classical repertoire. The enormous popularity he inspired and the esteem in which he was held as an artist gave him the power to make a lasting contribution to the Art: he was the first to include the African-American religious folk song, aka Spiritual, in his recitals, a practice which by this time has become a standard element in concert programming. The afternoon was gracefully introduced by the aristocratic soprano Cynthia Clarey, making an all-too-infrequent public appearance. Baritone Robert Sims, splendidly accompanied by pianist Paul Hamilton, offered a passionate and stylish hour of spirituals which Roland Hayes had himself performed, arranged, or composed, Sims’ warm and vibrant voice beautifully calibrated, with a myriad of colors serving the expression of the text. An astounding coup-de-theatre took the audience by storm when tenor George Shirley, unannounced, joined the concert portion of the afternoon, bringing back to Lincoln Center the magnificent artistry and vocal amplitude we so enjoyed for the many years when he was a resident principal tenor at the Metropolitan Opera. Soprano Louise Toppin and tenor Paul Spencer Adkins made valuable contributions to the narrative portion of the afternoon, stressing the importance of introducing the history of Roland Hayes into music curricula and of disseminating knowledge of his work to non-professional audiences through the media. The intellectual substance of the panel discussion, heroically anchored by WQXR’s Terrance McKnight, was centered around the recently published biography of Hayes, “Roland Hayes, the Legacy of an American Tenor,” by Christopher A. Brooks and Robert Sims (Indiana University Press, 2015; $40.00). The book is a meticulously-detailed portrait of Roland Hayes, the man, and explores in considerable depth the relationship of his place in society to his motivations, ambitions and accomplishments. Handsomely designed and printed, with copious illustrations, it is a real eye-opener. It is certainly no wonder that it has been rapturously received by the field, is already a national bestseller, and, deservedly, was awarded the Indiefab Book of the Year Award’s Gold Medal. It is past time for the mentor of Marian Anderson to achieve name recognition congruent with that of his protégée. This biography will undoubtedly go a long way toward addressing this imbalance, aside from which, it’s a GREAT read!