Talmage Randall Fauntleroy

ANGHIARI, ITALY - Talmage Randall Fauntleroy, son of Harry and Dorothy Fauntleroy, died July 23, 2002, in Anghiari, Italy, after a short illness. Fauntleroy, born in Hampton in 1952, attended the Hampton public schools, having graduated from Kecoughtan High in 1971. He continued his education at East Carolina University, where he received a bachelor's degree in Music; and Howard University, where he received a master's degree in Voice. He did further study at the University of Illinois, where he shifted from Voice to directing opera. Talmage traveled to Europe to attend the University of Florence to study the Italian language. Here, he established residency and he stayed for the next ten to twelve years, where he founded the Studio Lirica, a workshop where students can study and perform. When he left Europe, he became head of Opera Studies at the University of South Carolina. He got the University of South Carolina to bring in the Studio Lirica under their auspices and to become a four-week training session for young singers, stage directors, and conductors from all over the world. The summer work sessions this year were from June 21st to July 21st. Fauntleroy had just directed his final program when he suddenly became ill and died. He leaves to cherish his memories his parents, Harry and Dorothy; a sister, Betty; two brothers, Harry Jr. and Raoul; several uncles and aunts; and a host of other relatives and friends. He was funeralized and buried in the Medieval Tower of Anghiari, on the Apennines Mountains of Italy's Tuscany region. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held Wednesday, July 31st, at Zion Baptist Church in Hampton, Virginia, at 11 a.m.