By Nicole Hamilton
The Cincinnati Enquirer

For Jeannine Philippe, professor emeritus of voice at University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, her love of music began at an early age.

"I was blessed to be born into a family that had a great regard for all the arts, with music being the predominant," she once said.

Ms. Philippe, who studied French art song, died Jan. 19 at St. Luke Hospital East. The lifelong Bellevue resident was 73.

Ms. Philippe lived in the same home all her life. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy in 1947 and then studied voice at the Conservatory of Music. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees there in voice.

After graduation, she joined the faculty at the Conservatory of Music.

"She was very much beloved by her students - she was very demanding, but also very encouraging," said Mary Henderson Stucky of Florence, chair of CCM's voice department and professor of voice at the university.

Ms. Philippe was a Fulbright fellow at the Conservatoire National de Musique in 1954, where she was awarded a certificate de scolarite in voice.

She performed recitals all over the United States and Europe, and she recorded for Radio Diffusion Francaise.

In 1955, she won an award from the Concours International de Chant in Verviers, Belgium.

A Cincinnati voice teacher for 46 years who specialized in art song and musical theater, Ms. Philippe watched her alma mater become the College-Conservatory of Music in 1955 and then merge with the University of Cincinnati in 1962.

During her tenure, she taught a wide variety of students, some of whom went on to successful opera careers, others who now sing on Broadway, and still others who teach music across the United States. Her former students include Carolyn Sebron and Sheryl Woods, two internationally known opera singers.

"She had an aura about her when she was performing," said her longtime accompanist, Kenneth Griffiths of Mount Auburn.

Mr. Griffiths is a professor of music and director of accompanists at CCM and has known Ms. Philippe for 21 years. "She genuinely loved the music that she was performing," said Mr. Griffiths. "She was always looking to challenge herself, and so I grew enormously as an artist because she was always challenging me, too."

In the late 1990s, Ms. Philippe largely funded several visits to CCM by German lieder specialists Hartmut Holl and his wife, Mitsuko Shirai. Because of her gift, many CCM students were able to attend master classes and performances by these renowned artists.

Ms. Philippe was the recipient of numerous awards, including the governor's certificate for excellence in the field of vocal music in 1999; and the Ernest Glover Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from CCM in 1963. She was second vice president of Matinee Musical and sang in the choir of Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue for 60 years.

Ms. Philippe retired from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music in 1999.

Surviving is a sister, Helen Margaret Philippe of Bellevue.

Services have been held. Burial was in St. Stephen's Cemetery, Fort Thomas

Memorials: Sacred Heart Church, 318 Division Road, Bellevue, 41073-1104