Beverly Sills(1929-2007)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
This vibrant, fine-humored coloratura was able to accomplish what most
others of her ilk could or would not do -- she humanized opera and made
it approachable to the masses. There were no diva-like traits in this
star and the public absolutely adored her for it. Dubbed "America's
Queen of Opera" in 1971 by Time magazine, Beverly Sills, the lovely
blonde with the toothy smile and fireplace-warm personality, also
gained notice for her rise to stardom without benefit of European
training, eventually paving the way for other American-trained singers
to succeed without the accustomed "Met certification". During her
career she recorded 18 full-length operas as well as numerous recital
discs. A Victor Herbert album she recorded won a Grammy Award in 1978.
If not one of its most distinctive and charismatic voices, she
certainly became opera's most accessible figurehead and with it enticed
a surprisingly wide audience who would have typically turned away from
the long-haired art form.
Brooklyn-born Belle Miriam Silverman arrived on May 25, 1929, to
Russian-Jewish émigrés and the good humor already started at birth when
she was nicknamed "Bubbles" due to bubbles emanating from her mouth as
she arrived. At age 3 she made her debut on a kiddie show and won a
Brooklyn "beautiful baby" contest as well. Her singing gifts were
detected early on and she began to study at age 7. Performing
increasingly on various radio shows well into her teen years, she made
her operatic debut at age 18 singing the role of Frasquita in "Carmen"
with the Philadelphia Civic Opera.
In the early 1950s Beverly toured with the Charles L. Wagner Opera
Company and established herself in the roles of Violetta in "La
Traviata" and Micaela in "Carmen". The highlight during this time came
with her role as Helen of Troy in "Mephistopheles" with the San
Francisco Opera in 1953. She met future husband Peter Greenough, an
associate editor, while touring with the New York City Opera in 1955
(she had auditioned unsuccessfully for the company for nearly 4 years).
The couple married a year later and went on to have two children:
Meredith and Peter Jr. Despite her sunny, optimistic demeanor, Beverly
had her fair share of misfortune. Her daughter was born deaf and son
born autistic. For the remainder of her life she became an avid
spokesperson for children with particular needs.
Her buildup on the opera scene was surprisingly gradual. Over the years
she developed a strong repertoire of leading roles in the works of
Mozart, Handel, Offenbach, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi. Stardom came
with the role of Cleopatra in Handel's "Julius Caesar" in 1966 at
Lincoln Center, and she confirmed it with subsequent roles in "Le Coq
d'Or, "Mamon", "Lucia di Lammermoor" "The Siege of Corinth" and "Il
Trittico".
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she made herself available to the public
in lighter forums at such open venues as the Hollywood Bowl. She
willingly shared both the stage and small screen with such unlikely
co-stars as Carol Burnett ("Sills and
Burnett at the Met"), Danny Kaye,
John Denver,
Tony Bennett,
Johnny Carson and even the
Muppets. She won four Emmys for her interview show "Lifestyles with
Beverly Sills" in the late 70s. On the operatic side, some of her
televised performances included that of "The Barber of Seville", "La
Traviata" and "Manon".
Beverly's lyric soprano began to falter at around age 50 in the late
1970s. She bid her audiences adieu in a 1980 performance of "Die
Fledermaus" with Joan Sutherland
for the San Diego Opera. Later that decade she was the recipient of the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980 and was paid tribute at the 1985
Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime of contribution to the arts.
In later years Beverly worked behind the scenes after taking over the
mismanaged City Opera Company and turning things around as its general
director. She retired successfully from that leadership post in 1989
and five years later became chairman of the Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts. Retiring in 2002, she took over the chair for the
Metropoliatan Opera itself until 2005 due to family obligations and
health issues. Her husband Peter died in September of 2006; ten months
later Beverly would follow.
(Obviously) a non-smoker all her life, Beverly nevertheless developed
lung cancer. Her father had died of the same disease back in 1947. She
died on July 2, 2007 at her Manhattan residence. Her two children and
one grandchild survive.
others of her ilk could or would not do -- she humanized opera and made
it approachable to the masses. There were no diva-like traits in this
star and the public absolutely adored her for it. Dubbed "America's
Queen of Opera" in 1971 by Time magazine, Beverly Sills, the lovely
blonde with the toothy smile and fireplace-warm personality, also
gained notice for her rise to stardom without benefit of European
training, eventually paving the way for other American-trained singers
to succeed without the accustomed "Met certification". During her
career she recorded 18 full-length operas as well as numerous recital
discs. A Victor Herbert album she recorded won a Grammy Award in 1978.
If not one of its most distinctive and charismatic voices, she
certainly became opera's most accessible figurehead and with it enticed
a surprisingly wide audience who would have typically turned away from
the long-haired art form.
Brooklyn-born Belle Miriam Silverman arrived on May 25, 1929, to
Russian-Jewish émigrés and the good humor already started at birth when
she was nicknamed "Bubbles" due to bubbles emanating from her mouth as
she arrived. At age 3 she made her debut on a kiddie show and won a
Brooklyn "beautiful baby" contest as well. Her singing gifts were
detected early on and she began to study at age 7. Performing
increasingly on various radio shows well into her teen years, she made
her operatic debut at age 18 singing the role of Frasquita in "Carmen"
with the Philadelphia Civic Opera.
In the early 1950s Beverly toured with the Charles L. Wagner Opera
Company and established herself in the roles of Violetta in "La
Traviata" and Micaela in "Carmen". The highlight during this time came
with her role as Helen of Troy in "Mephistopheles" with the San
Francisco Opera in 1953. She met future husband Peter Greenough, an
associate editor, while touring with the New York City Opera in 1955
(she had auditioned unsuccessfully for the company for nearly 4 years).
The couple married a year later and went on to have two children:
Meredith and Peter Jr. Despite her sunny, optimistic demeanor, Beverly
had her fair share of misfortune. Her daughter was born deaf and son
born autistic. For the remainder of her life she became an avid
spokesperson for children with particular needs.
Her buildup on the opera scene was surprisingly gradual. Over the years
she developed a strong repertoire of leading roles in the works of
Mozart, Handel, Offenbach, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi. Stardom came
with the role of Cleopatra in Handel's "Julius Caesar" in 1966 at
Lincoln Center, and she confirmed it with subsequent roles in "Le Coq
d'Or, "Mamon", "Lucia di Lammermoor" "The Siege of Corinth" and "Il
Trittico".
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she made herself available to the public
in lighter forums at such open venues as the Hollywood Bowl. She
willingly shared both the stage and small screen with such unlikely
co-stars as Carol Burnett ("Sills and
Burnett at the Met"), Danny Kaye,
John Denver,
Tony Bennett,
Johnny Carson and even the
Muppets. She won four Emmys for her interview show "Lifestyles with
Beverly Sills" in the late 70s. On the operatic side, some of her
televised performances included that of "The Barber of Seville", "La
Traviata" and "Manon".
Beverly's lyric soprano began to falter at around age 50 in the late
1970s. She bid her audiences adieu in a 1980 performance of "Die
Fledermaus" with Joan Sutherland
for the San Diego Opera. Later that decade she was the recipient of the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980 and was paid tribute at the 1985
Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime of contribution to the arts.
In later years Beverly worked behind the scenes after taking over the
mismanaged City Opera Company and turning things around as its general
director. She retired successfully from that leadership post in 1989
and five years later became chairman of the Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts. Retiring in 2002, she took over the chair for the
Metropoliatan Opera itself until 2005 due to family obligations and
health issues. Her husband Peter died in September of 2006; ten months
later Beverly would follow.
(Obviously) a non-smoker all her life, Beverly nevertheless developed
lung cancer. Her father had died of the same disease back in 1947. She
died on July 2, 2007 at her Manhattan residence. Her two children and
one grandchild survive.