As you no doubt have heard or seen, Thomson Smillie, who was with Kentucky Opera from 1981-1997 and has been a leading citizen of our city and the arts community for three decades, died Saturday evening at his home.
Read about Thomson Smillie’s life:
WFPL – Former Kentucky Opera Leader Thomson Smillie Dies
Courier-Journal – Former Kentucky Opera director Thomson Smillie dies at 71
A funeral Mass has been scheduled for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 433 S. Fifth Street. Parking is available in the adjacent garage on Fifth Street or at the surface parking lot at Fifth and Liberty Streets.
Following the Mass at 3:30 pm, there will be a Memorial Concert at the W.L. Lyons Brown Theater, 315 W. Broadway where the stage is named in his honor. This event, which is free and open to the public, will feature music and readings of things that were special to Thomson. Following the concert, at 4:30 p.m., the family will receive guests at a reception in the Fifth/Third Conference Center.
The family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of contributions to the Thomson Smillie Campaign for Artistic Excellence, which will support future development of new works and new productions, c/o The Kentucky Opera, 323 W. Broadway, Louisville 40202; or to Hosparus of Louisville, 3532 Ephraim McDowell Drive, Louisville 40205.
