I was saddened to learn this morning of the untimely death of opera diva Beverly Sills. She was a child wonder who performed professionally on the radio shows Rainbow House with Big Brother Bob Emery, Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour and the Capitol Family Hour. She came under the vocal tutelage of Estelle Liebling and joined the touring J.J. Shubert operetta company at the age of 16.
Her operatic debut occurred in Carmen as Frasquita with the Philadelphia Civic Opera. She made her New York City Opera debut on October 29, 1955, as Rosalinde in Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus with glowing reviews. Her memorable roles were in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, Handel's Julius Caesar, Massenet's Manon, Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe, and Verdi's La Traviata.
After retiring from opera, she undertook stewardship of the New York City Opera, chairwoman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and chairwoman of the Metropolitan Opera.
Here is a fitting tribute to her final performance.
Comments (1)
It's late October. Beverly's been gone for more than three months. Many of us are still in mourning. How we miss her.
Posted by Aitaiwanderen | October 24, 2007 8:07 PM
Posted on October 24, 2007 20:07