Sherrill Milnes

Sherrill Milnes (born January 10, 1935) is an American operatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From the mid-1960s until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera.

His voice is a high baritone, combining good legato with an incisive rhythmic style; furthermore, he has a commanding and handsome stage presence. By 1965 had made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. His international debuts followed soon thereafter, and Milnes became one of the world's prominent Verdi baritones of the 1970s and 80s.

He has been a prolific recording artist, often in partnership with Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.

Early life

Milnes was born in Downers Grove, Illinois to a dairy farmer and his wife. As a child, he exhibited strong and varied musical talents. In addition to singing, he also played piano, violin, viola, double bass, clarinet, and tuba. Although his interests did not always lean towards opera, he spent many hours singing to his father's cows, and once was found on a tractor practicing an operatic laugh.

While in high school, Milnes planned to be an anaesthesiologist, but later returned to music, studying music education at Drake University and Northwestern University, with the idea of becoming a teacher. After graduating, he spent a summer as an apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera and thereafter dedicated himself to becoming an opera singer, studying briefly with the famed soprano Rosa Ponselle.

Career

Milnes began his career with the Boston Opera Company in 1960, joining Boris Goldovsky's Opera Theater, and debuting as Masetto in "Don Giovanni". In 1961, he made his debut at Ponselle's Baltimore Opera as Gérard in "André Chénier".

In 1964, Milnes made his first major breakthrough singing the role of Valentin in Gounod's "Faust" at the New York City Opera, the role with which he also made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1965.

In 1964, Milnes also made his European debut singing "Figaro" from "The Barber of Seville" at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan. However, it was his performance as Miller in Verdi's "Luisa Miller" in 1968 which catapulted him into international fame.

In the early 1980s, Milnes experienced vocal health problems, but he eventually surmounted them.

In 1998, Milnes published a memoir, "American Aria" (ISBN ).

Starting in 2001, Milnes has been bringing his experience and expertise to young rising operatic talent through V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal and Operatic Intensive Creative Experience), which he founded in 2001 with his third wife, Maria Zouves. Their workshops allow educators and performers to share their knowledge through master classes, private coachings, presentations, one-on-one consultations, lectures, and performances. They strive to create a realistic view of the many challenges that singers face throughout their career. The auditor program allows both opera lovers and singers a unique interaction in the creative process.

Milnes is currently a professor emeritus in voice at Northwestern University.

Discography

Cassettes

* "Essential Opera"
* "A Grand Night for Singing" (Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Columbia Symphony – Ottley, cond.)
* "Opera's Greatest Duets"
* "Sherrill Milnes at the Met"

CDs

- 1967 -
* Mozart: "Cosi fan tutte" (with L. Price, Troyanos, Raskin, Shirley, Flagello – Leinsdorf, cond.)
* Verdi: "La Traviata" (with Caballe, Bergonzi – Pretre, cond.)

- 1968 -
* R. Strauss: "Salome" (with Caballe, R. Lewis, Resnik, J. King – Leinsdorf, cond.)

- 1969 -
* Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, "Choral" (with J. Marsh, Veasey, Domingo – Leinsdorf, cond.)
* Verdi: "Il Trovatore" (with L. Price, Domingo, Cossotto – Mehta, cond.)

- 1970 -
* Verdi: "Aida" (with L. Price, Domingo, Bumbry, Raimondi – Leinsdorf, cond.)
* Verdi: "Macbeth" (with Ludwig, Cossutta – Boehm, cond.) Live recording

- 1971 -
* "Great Opera Duets" (with Domingo)
* Verdi: "Un Ballo in Maschera" (with Tebaldi, Pavarotti -- Bartoletti, cond.)
* Verdi: "Don Carlos" (with Domingo, Caballe, Raimondi, Verrett -- Giulini, cond.)
* Donizetti: "Lucia di Lammermoor" (with Sutherland, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov -- Bonynge, cond.)
* Leoncavallo: "I Pagliacci" / Puccini: "Il Tabarro" (Pagliacci: with Caballe, Domingo -- Santi, cond. Tabarro: with L. Price, Domingo -- Leinsdorf, cond.)
* Verdi: "Rigoletto" (with Sutherland, Pavarotti, Tourangeau -- Bonynge, cond.)

- 1972 -
* Verdi: "Attila" (with Raimondi, Deutekom, Bergonzi -- Gardelli, cond.)
* Verdi: "Giovanna d'Arco" (with Caballe, Domingo -- Levine, cond.)

- 1973 -
* "Domingo Conducts Milnes" – Milnes Conducts Domingo
* Puccini: "Tosca" (with L. Price, Domingo – Mehta, cond.)

- 1974 -
* Puccini: "La Bohème" (with Caballe, Domingo, Blegen, Sardinero, Raimondi – Solti, cond.)
* Verdi: "I Vespri Siciliani" (with Arroyo, Domingo, Raimondi – Levine, cond.)

- 1975 -
* Rossini: "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" (with Sills, Gedda, Capecchi, Raimondi, Barbieri – Levine, cond.)
* Verdi: "Luisa Miller" (with Pavarotti, Caballe – Maag, cond.)
* Massenet's La Navarraise (with Horne, Domingo, Bacquier – H. Lewis, cond.)
* Verdi: "Il Trovatore" [with bonus tracks from a 1968 recording of Act II with Richard Tucker] (with Caballe, Cossutta, Arkhipova – Guadagno, cond.)

- 1976 -
* Giordano: "Andrea Chenier" (with Scotto, Domingo – Levine, cond.)
* Verdi: "Macbeth" (with Cossotto, Carreras, Raimondi – Muti, cond.)
* Massenet: "Thais" (with Sills, Gedda, van Allan – Maazel, cond.)

- 1977 -
* Cilea: "Adriana Lecouvreur" (with Scotto, Domingo, Obraztsova – Levine, cond.)
* Bizet: "Carmen" (with Berganza, Domingo, Cotrubas – C. Abbado, cond.)
* Puccini: "La Fanciulla del West" (with Neblett, Domingo – Mehta, cond.)
* Verdi: "La Forza del Destino" (with L. Price, Domingo, Cossotto, Giaiotti, Bacquier – Levine, cond.)
* Verdi: "La Traviata" (with Cotrubas, Domingo – Kleiber, cond.)

- 1978 -
* "Bravissimo, Domingo!" Arias and Duets with Leontyne Price and Sherrill Milnes
* Rossini: "Guglielmo Tell" (with Freni, Pavarotti, Mazzoli, Jones, Ghiaurov – Chailly, cond.)
* Verdi: "Otello" (with Scotto, Domingo – Levine, cond.)
* Verdi: "Rigoletto" (with Sills, Kraus, M. Dunn, Ramey – Rudel, cond.)
* Puccini: "Tosca" (with Freni, Pavarotti – Rescigno, cond.)

- 1980 -
* Massenet: "Le Roi de Lahore" (with Sutherland, Lima, Giaurov, Morris, Tourangeau – Bonynge, cond.)

- 1981 -
* Ponchielli: "La Gioconda" (with Caballe, Baltsa, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov – Bartoletti, cond.)

- 1986 -
* Ponchielli: "La Gioconda" (with Marton, Ramey, Lamberti – Patane, cond.)

- 1990 -
* Faure: "Requiem" (with Te Kanawa – Dutoit, cond.)

- 1992 -
* Orff: "Carmina Burana" (with Mandac, Kolk – Ozawa, cond.)

- 2001 -
* Wolf-Ferrari: "Sly" (with Carreras, Kabatu – Gimenez, cond.)

Recitals

* "Sherrill Milnes in Recital", Volume 1, "There but for You Go I" (Jon Spong, piano)
* "Sherrill Milnes in Recital", Volume 2, "Kingdom by the Sea" (Jon Spong, piano)
* "Met Legends: Sherrill Milnes"
* "Grandi Voci: Arias" (de la Fuente, cond.)
* "The Baritone Voice"
* Copland: "Old American Songs"
* Griffes: "Four German Songs"; "Songs of the Dagger" (Ozawa, cond.)

Videos

- 1976 -
* Puccini: "Tosca" (with Kabaivanska, Domingo – Bartoletti, cond.)

- 1983 -
* Verdi: "Ernani" (with L. Mitchell, Pavarotti, Raimondi – Levine, cond.)

- 1984 -
* Verdi: "Simon Boccanegra" (with Tomowa-Sintow, Moldoveanu, Plishka – Levine, cond.)

- 1985 -
* Verdi: "Nabucco" (with Bumbry, Cortez, Raimondi – Santi, cond.)
* "Sherrill Milnes: An All-Star Gala" (various artists)

- 1986 -
* "Sherrill Milnes at Juilliard: An Opera Master Class"

- 1988 -
* Verdi: "Il Trovatore" (with Marton, Zajick, Pavarotti – Levine, cond.)

- 1989 -
* Verdi: "Aida" (with Millo, Zajick, Domingo – Levine, cond.)

- 1991 -
* "Met's 25th Anniversary Gala at Lincoln Center" (various artists)

- 1996 -
* "James Levine 25th Anniversary Gala" (various artists)

References

*Biographical information from the biography on [http://www.geocities.com/semilnes/home.html www.geocities.com/semilnes/home.html]

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/semilnes/home.html Unofficial Sherrill Milnes website]
* [http://www.deccaclassics.com/artists/milnes/biog.html# Bio and discography]
* [http://www.voicexperiencefoundation.com/ Official V.O.I.C. Experience Website]
* [http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/alumni/milnes.html Northwestern University Notable Alumni Website]