Sherrill Milnes
Encyclopedia
Sherrill Milnes is an American
operatic baritone
most famous for his Verdi
roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera
.
His voice is a high dramatic baritone, combining good legato with an incisive rhythmic style; furthermore, he has a commanding and handsome stage presence. By 1965 he 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 1980s.
He has been a prolific recording artist, often in partnership with Plácido Domingo
and Luciano Pavarotti
.
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 toward opera, he spent many hours singing to his father's cows and was once found on a tractor practicing an operatic laugh.
While in high school, Milnes planned to be an anesthesiologist
, 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
.
in 1960, joining Boris Goldovsky
's Opera Theater, and debuting as Masetto in Don Giovanni
. From very early on in his career, Milnes was managed by well known talent manager Herbert Barrett
. In 1961, he made his debut at Ponselle's Baltimore Opera as Gérard in Andrea Chénier.
In 1964, Milnes made his first major breakthrough singing the role of Valentin in Gounod's Faust
at the New York City Opera
(opposite Norman Treigle
as Mephisto), the role with which he also made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1965. In 1967 he created the role of Captain Adam Brant in the world premiere of Marvin David Levy's Mourning Becomes Electra
at the Met.
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 1984 he sang in the world premiere of Act I of Sergei Rachmaninoff
's opera Monna Vanna, which had been left in piano score by the composer and orchestrated by Igor Buketoff
.
Milnes was awarded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
fraternity's Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award
at its 1982 national convention in Urbana
, Illinois. He had been initiated into the Fraternity's Alpha Beta chapter at Drake University
in 1954. In September 1996 Milnes was honored by the French government with the distinguished Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
. In 1998, Milnes published a memoir, American Aria.
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
. He is a recipient of Yale University
's Sanford Medal. He is Artistic Advisor to Opera Tampa (FL).
He is a National Patron of Delta Omicron
, an international professional music fraternity.
Milnes has been a resident of Cresskill, New Jersey
.
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1986
1990
2001
1979
1980
1983
1984
1985
1986
1988
1989
1991
1992
1996
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
operatic baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
most famous for his Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
.
His voice is a high dramatic baritone, combining good legato with an incisive rhythmic style; furthermore, he has a commanding and handsome stage presence. By 1965 he 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 1980s.
He has been a prolific recording artist, often in partnership with Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
and Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
.
Early life
Milnes was born in Downers Grove, IllinoisDowners Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
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
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, and tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
. Although his interests did not always lean toward opera, he spent many hours singing to his father's cows and was once found on a tractor practicing an operatic laugh.
While in high school, Milnes planned to be an anesthesiologist
Anesthesiologist
An anesthesiologist or anaesthetist is a physician trained in anesthesia and peri-operative medicine....
, but later returned to music, studying music education at Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
and Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, with the idea of becoming a teacher. After graduating, he spent a summer as an apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
and thereafter dedicated himself to becoming an opera singer, studying briefly with the famed soprano Rosa Ponselle
Rosa Ponselle
Rosa Ponselle , was an American operatic soprano with a large, opulent voice. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered by music critics to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the past 100 years.-Early life:She was born Rosa Ponzillo on January 22, 1897,...
.
Career
Milnes began his career with the Opera Company of BostonOpera Company of Boston
The Opera Company of Boston was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active during the late 1950s through the early 1990s. The company was founded by American conductor Sarah Caldwell in 1958 under the name Boston Opera Group. At one time, the touring arm of the...
in 1960, joining Boris Goldovsky
Boris Goldovsky
Boris Goldovsky was a Russian conductor and broadcast commentator, active in the United States. He has been called an important "popularizer" of opera in America...
's Opera Theater, and debuting as Masetto in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. From very early on in his career, Milnes was managed by well known talent manager Herbert Barrett
Herbert Barrett (talent manager)
Herbert Barrett was an influential talent manager and publicist in the classical music world during the second half of the twentieth century. In 1940 he founded Herbert Barrett Management, serving as the firm's president until 1996. He remained a chairman at the firm up until his death eleven...
. In 1961, he made his debut at Ponselle's Baltimore Opera as Gérard in Andrea Chénier.
In 1964, Milnes made his first major breakthrough singing the role of Valentin in Gounod's Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
at the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
(opposite Norman Treigle
Norman Treigle
Norman Treigle was an American operatic bass-baritone, who was acclaimed for his great abilities as a singing-actor, and specialized in roles that evoked villainy and terror....
as Mephisto), the role with which he also made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1965. In 1967 he created the role of Captain Adam Brant in the world premiere of Marvin David Levy's Mourning Becomes Electra
Mourning Becomes Electra (opera)
Mourning Becomes Electra is an opera in 3 acts by composer Marvin David Levy. The work uses an English language libretto by Henry W Butler after the play of the same name by Eugene O'Neill. It premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on March 17, 1967 with Zubin Mehta conducting...
at the Met.
In 1964, Milnes also made his European debut singing Figaro from The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. However, it was his performance as Miller in Verdi's Luisa Miller
Luisa Miller
Luisa Miller is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play Kabale und Liebe by Friedrich von Schiller. The first performance was given at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on December 8, 1849...
in 1968 which catapulted him into international fame.
In the early 1980s, Milnes experienced vocal health problems, but he eventually surmounted them. In 1984 he sang in the world premiere of Act I of Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
's opera Monna Vanna, which had been left in piano score by the composer and orchestrated by Igor Buketoff
Igor Buketoff
Igor Buketoff was an American conductor, arranger and teacher. He had a special affinity with Russian music and with Sergei Rachmaninoff in particular. He also strongly promoted British contemporary music, and new music in general.- Biography :Buketoff was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son...
.
Milnes was awarded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
fraternity's Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award
Charles E. Lutton Man Of Music Award
The Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award is one of the highest honors awarded to members of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity for a lifelong achievement in uplifting the world through art and music. Its recipients include musical legends such as Aaron Copland, W. Francis McBeth, James Levine,...
at its 1982 national convention in Urbana
Urbana
Urbana can refer to:In geography:United States*Urbana, Illinois**Urbana , a Christian convention formerly held in Urbana, Illinois*Urbana, Indiana*Urbana, Iowa*Urbana, Maryland*Urbana, Missouri*Urbana, New York*Urbana, Ohio...
, Illinois. He had been initiated into the Fraternity's Alpha Beta chapter at Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
in 1954. In September 1996 Milnes was honored by the French government with the distinguished Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
. In 1998, Milnes published a memoir, American Aria.
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
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. He is a recipient of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's Sanford Medal. He is Artistic Advisor to Opera Tampa (FL).
He is a National Patron of Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
, an international professional music fraternity.
Milnes has been a resident of Cresskill, New Jersey
Cresskill, New Jersey
Cresskill is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,573. The town got its name from the watercress that grew in its streams, or "kills"....
.
Cassettes
- Essential Opera
- A Grand Night for Singing (Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Columbia Symphony – Ottley, cond.)
- Opera's Greatest Duets
- Sherrill Milnes at the Met
Compact Discs
1967- Mozart: Così fan tutte (with L. Price, Troyanos, Raskin, Shirley, Flagello – Leinsdorf, cond.)
- Verdi: La traviata (with Caballé, Bergonzi – Prêtre, cond.)
1968
- R. Strauss: Salome (with Caballé, R. Lewis, Resnik, J. King – Leinsdorf, cond.)
1969
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, "Choral" (with J. Marsh, Veasey, Domingo – Leinsdorf, cond.)
- Orff: Carmina Burana (with Mandac, Kolk – Ozawa, cond.)
- Verdi: Il trovatore (with L. Price, Domingo, Cossotto – Mehta, cond.)
1970
- Verdi: Aïda (with L. Price, Domingo, Bumbry, Raimondi – Leinsdorf, cond.)
- Verdi: Macbeth (with Ludwig, Cossutta – Böhm, cond.) Live recording
1971
- Great Opera Duets (with Domingo)
- Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (with Tebaldi, Pavarotti -- Bartoletti, cond.)
- Puccini: Il tabarro (with L. Price, Domingo -- Leinsdorf, cond.)
- Verdi: Don Carlos (with Domingo, Caballé, Raimondi, Verrett -- Giulini, cond.)
- Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (with Sutherland, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov -- Bonynge, cond.)
- Leoncavallo: Pagliacci / Puccini: Il tabarro (Pagliacci: with Caballé, Domingo -- Santi, cond. / Il tabarro: with L. Price, Domingo -- Leinsdorf, cond.)
- Verdi: Rigoletto (with Sutherland, Pavarotti, Tourangeau, Talvela -- Bonynge, cond.)
1972
- Verdi: Attila (with Raimondi, Deutekom, Bergonzi -- Gardelli, cond.)
- Verdi: Giovanna d'Arco (with Caballé, Domingo -- Levine, cond.)
1973
- Domingo Conducts Milnes – Milnes Conducts Domingo
- Puccini: Tosca (with L. Price, Domingo – Mehta, cond.)
1974
- Puccini: La bohème (with Caballé, 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, Caballé – 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 Caballé, Cossutta, Arkhipova – Guadagno, cond.)
1976
- Giordano: Andrea Chénier (with Scotto, Domingo – Levine, cond.)
- Verdi: Macbeth (with Cossotto, Carreras, Raimondi – Muti, cond.)
- Massenet: Thaïs (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.)
1979
- Puccini: La bohème (with Scotto, Neblett, Kraus, Manuguerra, Plishka, Tajo; Levine, cond.)
1980
- Massenet: Le roi de Lahore (with Sutherland, Lima, Ghiaurov, Morris, Tourangeau – Bonynge, cond.)
1981
- Ponchielli: La Gioconda (with Caballé, Baltsa, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov – Bartoletti, cond.)
1986
- Ponchielli: La Gioconda (with Marton, Ramey, Lamberti – Patanè, cond.)
1990
- Fauré: Requiem (with Te Kanawa – Dutoit, 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.)
DVDs
1976- Puccini: Tosca (with Kabaivanska, Domingo – Bartoletti, cond., de Bosio, dir.)
1979
- Verdi: Luisa Miller (with Scotto, Domingo, Morris; Levine, cond., Merrill, dir.)
1980
- Verdi: Don Carlos (Scotto, Troyanos, Moldoveanu, Plishka, Hines; Levine, cond., Dexter, dir.)
1983
- Verdi: Ernani (with L. Mitchell, Pavarotti, Raimondi – Levine, cond., Samaritani, dir.)
1984
- Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (with Tomowa-Sintow, Moldoveanu, Plishka – Levine, cond., Capobianco, dir.)
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., Melano, dir.)
1989
- Verdi: Aïda (with Millo, Zajick, Domingo – Levine, cond., Frisell, dir.)
1991
- Met's 25th Anniversary Gala at Lincoln Center (various artists)
1992
- Puccini: La fanciulla del West (with Daniels, Domingo – Slatkin, cond., del Monaco, dir.)
1996
- James Levine 25th Anniversary Gala (various artists)