Established in 1978, the McCoy Visiting Artists Program has brought to Rhodes an impressive variety of performing artists. Among those who have shared their talent and time with Rhodes students are opera's dramatic soprano, Nancy Tatum; noted dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille; Swedish baritone Hakan Hagegard; The New Shakespeare Company of San Francisco; actresses Pat Carroll and Siobhan McKenna; the Tokyo String Quartet; pianists Paul Badura-Skoda and Alicia de Larrocha; theatre director Gavin Cameron-Webb; the New York Woodwind Quintet; pianist Gail Niwa; and The Chicago Chamber Brass. Endowed by the late Harry McCoy, a Memphis real estate developer who died in 1966, the purpose of the programis to introduce Rhodes students to various art forms and to the performing artists themselves. Such an opportunity is seen as an enriching adjunct of the College's liberal arts experience.