M. Owen Lee, also known as Father Owen Lee (b. 1930, Detroit), is an American classics and music scholar.

Father Lee has been a member of the Basilian Fathers

Congregation of St. Basil

The Basilian Fathers, also known as The Congregation of Saint Basil, is an international order of Catholic priests and students studying for the priesthood, who focus on education and ministering through oratories....

 (C.S.B.) since 1947. He is a professor emeritus

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 of classics at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

, holder of four honorary degree

Honorary degree

An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...

s, and the author of 18 books on various subjects.

Lee has also been active as a commentator on musical topics. He is especially well-known for his insightful contributions as intermission commentator, pianist, and quiz panelist on the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts

Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts

The Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts are a regular series of weekly broadcasts on network radio of full-length opera performances. They are transmitted live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City...

.

Major writings

• Word, Sound, and Image in the Odes of Horace (University of Michigan Press, 1969)
• Fathers and Sons in Virgil's Aeneid (SUNY Press, 1979)
• Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round (Summit Books, 1990)
• First Intermissions (Oxford University Press, 1995)
• The Olive-Tree Bed and Other Quests (University of Toronto Press, 1997)
• Wagner: The Terrible Man and his Truthful Art (University of Toronto Press, 1999)
• A Book of Hours (Continuum Press, 2004)
• The Great Instrumental Works (Amadeus Press, 2005)
• The Best Films of Our Years (Authorhouse, 2007) ISBN 9781425996208
• Athena Sings: Wagner and the Greeks (University of Toronto Press, 2003)
• Wagner and the Wonder of Art: An Introduction to Die Meistersinger (University of Toronto Press, 2007)
• A Season of Opera: From Orpheus to Ariadne (University of Toronto Press, 1998)

External links

• Profile from Opera Canada
  Opera Canada
  - Citations :-External links:****...
  
   magazine, 2001
• Selected essays (transcripts) from the Metropolitan Opera International Radio Broadcast
  Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts
  The Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts are a regular series of weekly broadcasts on network radio of full-length opera performances. They are transmitted live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City...
  
  Intermission Features:
  • Aida
  • La Bohème
  • Fidelio: Beethoven and the Mystery of Suffering
  • La Forza del Destino
  • Jenufa
  • The Magic Flute
  • Otello
  • Pelléas et Mélisande
  • Der Rosenkavalier
  • Der Rosenkavalier: Richard Strauss, His Pauline, and the Allomatic
  • The Tales of Hoffmann
  • Tannhäuser
  • Turandot
  • Wagner and the Greeks
  • Wagner's Influence on 20th Century Literature