Beverly Sills

Beverly Sills (photography by Carl Van Vechten , 1956)

Beverly Sills , actually Belle Miriam Silverman , (born May 25, 1929 in New York City , † July 2, 2007 there ) was an American opera singer (soprano), mainly known in the 1960s and 1970s.

Life

Sills, who made her debut at the Civic Opera in Philadelphia in 1948 , became known around the world for her appearances as a coloratura soprano , and her recordings are also famous. After she retired in 1980, she became General Manager of New York City Opera . In 1996 she received a Heinz Award , in 1998 she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 1994 she became chairwoman of the Lincoln Center and in 2002 of the Metropolitan Opera . Sills was committed to the prevention and treatment of birth defects.

In private, the celebrated star had to cope with several strokes of fate. Her daughter Meredith (Muffy) (* 1959) is severely hearing impaired, the son Peter jr. (* 1961) has lived in a home for the mentally handicapped since he was six. Sill's husband, Peter Buckley Greenough, died in September 2006 - just before the couple's 50th wedding anniversary.

She died at the age of 78.

Discography (selection)

• Roberto Devereux , 1969
• Manon , 1970
• Lucia di Lammermoor , 1970
• Maria Stuarda , 1971
• La traviata , 1971
• Les Contes d'Hoffmann , 1972
• Anna Bolena , 1972
• I puritani , 1973
• I Capuleti ei Montecchi , 1975
• The Barber of Seville , 1975

Works

• Beverly Sills: Bubbles. A self-portrait . Warner Books, New York NY 1976, ISBN 0-446-81520-9 .
• Beverly Sills (with Lawrence Linderman): Beverly. To Autobiography . Bantam Books, Toronto et al. 1987, ISBN 0-553-05173-3 .

literature

• Bridget Paolucci: Beverly Sills . Chelsea House Publishers, New York NY 1990, ISBN 1-55546-677-X , ( American women of achievement ).

Web links

• A Tribute to Beverly Sills - discography, photos, videos, bibliography
• "Beverly Sills, the All-American Diva, Is Dead at 78" , New York Times , July 3rd 2007, with audio clips and photos