A long, long time ago, at the beginning of entertainment, there was the chamber concert.

Instead of going to movies, musicals, or any kind of other popular entertainment, music lovers would congregate in a small room and gather around a piano to hear a variety of chamber artists perform an entire concert with a minimal amount of instruments.

Times have changed, though, and classical soloists don’t tour as often as they used to.

Internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne is trying to change that.

In 1994 she established the Marilyn Horne Foundation, an organization devoted to supporting the art of the vocal recital.

Since its beginnings, she has provided the opportunity for audiences across the United States to experience the vocal stylings of solo artists whose mission is to revive this lost art.

Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall, Ames residents will be given the opportunity to experience this type of music in full form.

In conjunction with the Marilyn Horne Foundation, the Ames Town and Gown Chamber Music Association will present a solo recital featuring award-winning coloratura soprano, Lynette Tapia.

Tapia was discovered by Horne when she was in school, and was thereafter asked personally by Horne to be a part of the foundation’s activities.

“Marilyn was a judge at a few of my competitions,” Tapia said. “She heard me there and said ‘I need you to do some foundation stuff.’ Now, we’re good friends.”

A native of Orange City, Calif., Tapia started taking voice lessons at the tender age of 14, and has been taking lessons ever since.

As her vocal talent began to blossom, Tapia started to get noticed by her superiors as a singer with potential. She entered and won a variety of music competitions and began earning national recognition for her talent.

Following the advice of her music teachers, Tapia enrolled in prestigious music schools such as Oberlin Conservatory and then the Cleveland Institute.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she went on to spend a year of graduate school at Yale University but decided to drop out after a year to become a professional musician.

“I’d rather be working than doing paperwork,” she said.

At the age of 25, she has become a rising star in the world of vocal music.

Her 1996 victory as co-winner of the Placido Domingo international opera competition in Bordeaux, France, put her on the map as a great talent, as did her 1998 appearance in Carnegie Hall at the annual Marilyn Horne Foundation Gala Benefit Concert.

“I’m really young to be doing what I’m doing,” Tapia admits. “It keeps me busy.”

Tapia’s visit to Ames will not provide a break from her busy schedule by any means. In addition to preparing for her concert, Tapia has been leading workshops all week long for Ames groups such as the Ames Middle School, Ames High School, the Ames Children’s Choir and Iowa State University.

During these workshops, Tapia said she sings for the students and then answers questions they have about her career. Tapia said because of the professional artists who took time out to share their knowledge with her when she was starting out, she’s happy to do the same for others.

“It’s really helpful (for others) to see a realistic view of what it’s like to be a singer,” Tapia said. “I’ve been living out of my suitcase for four weeks.”

Though the workshops and competitions are important, Tapia said her biggest goal is to continue the tradition of the solo concert through her career, and hopefully gain more of a following for the art form.

“Opera and art song is such a different way of communicating to people,” Tapia said. “Perhaps we can get more people interested in it.”