Beverly Sills (May 25, 1929 â€" July 2, 2007) was an American operatic
soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s.Although she
sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and
Verdi, she was known for her performances in coloratura soprano roles
in live opera and recordings. Sills was largely associated with the
operas of Donizetti, of which she performed and recorded many roles.
Her signature roles include the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di
Lammermoor, the title role in Massenet's Manon, Marie in Donizetti's
La fille du régiment, the three heroines in Offenbach's Les contes
d'Hoffmann, Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Violetta in
Verdi's La traviata, and most notably Elisabetta in Roberto
Devereux.The New York Times noted, "In her prime her technique was
exemplary. She could dispatch coloratura roulades and embellishments,
capped by radiant high Ds and E-flats, with seemingly effortless
agility. She sang with scrupulous musicianship, rhythmic incisiveness
and a vivid sense of text." NPR commented, her voice was "Capable of
spinning a seemingly endless legato line, or bursting with crystalline
perfection into waves of dazzling fioriture and thrilling high notes."
After retiring from singing in 1980, she became the general manager of
the New York City Opera. In 1994, she became the chairwoman of Lincoln
Center and then, in 2002, of the Metropolitan Opera, stepping down in
2005. Sills lent her celebrity to further her charity work for the
prevention and treatment of birth defects.
soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s.Although she
sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and
Verdi, she was known for her performances in coloratura soprano roles
in live opera and recordings. Sills was largely associated with the
operas of Donizetti, of which she performed and recorded many roles.
Her signature roles include the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di
Lammermoor, the title role in Massenet's Manon, Marie in Donizetti's
La fille du régiment, the three heroines in Offenbach's Les contes
d'Hoffmann, Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Violetta in
Verdi's La traviata, and most notably Elisabetta in Roberto
Devereux.The New York Times noted, "In her prime her technique was
exemplary. She could dispatch coloratura roulades and embellishments,
capped by radiant high Ds and E-flats, with seemingly effortless
agility. She sang with scrupulous musicianship, rhythmic incisiveness
and a vivid sense of text." NPR commented, her voice was "Capable of
spinning a seemingly endless legato line, or bursting with crystalline
perfection into waves of dazzling fioriture and thrilling high notes."
After retiring from singing in 1980, she became the general manager of
the New York City Opera. In 1994, she became the chairwoman of Lincoln
Center and then, in 2002, of the Metropolitan Opera, stepping down in
2005. Sills lent her celebrity to further her charity work for the
prevention and treatment of birth defects.
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