Beverly Sills Biography (1929-)

Original name, Belle Miriam Silverman; born May 25, 1929, in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of Morris (an insurance broker) and Sonia (a musician; maiden name, Bahn) Silverman; married Peter Greenough (a newspaper publisher), November 17,1956; children: Meredith (Muffy), Peter, Jr. (Bucky); stepchildren: Lindley,Nancy, Diana. Career: Actress, opera singer, and administrator. Shubert Tours of Charles Wagner Opera Company, touring performer, 1950-51; New YorkCity Opera Company, coloratura soprano, 1955-80, director, 1980-88, board president, 1989-90; Tanglewood Festival, performer, 1968-69; National Endowmentfor the Arts, council member, 1970-76; March of Dimes Mothers' March on Birth Defects, national chair, 1972-; Warner Communications, Inc., director, 1982-; Metropolitan Opera, New York City, managing director, 1991-94; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City, chair, 1994-; appeared with several major opera houses in the United States, Europe, and Latin America; Carnegie Commission on the Future of Public Broadcasting, member; National Opera Institute, chair; member of the board of directors for the National Foundationfor the Arts, the Bagby Foundation, the Circle in the Square Theatre, and American Express. Sang commercial jingles. Also credited as Beverly Sills Greenough. Known to family and friends as Bubbles. Awards, Honors: Grammy Award nominations, best classical performance-vocal soloist, 1969, for Scenes and Arias from French Opera, and 1970, for Mozart and Strauss Arias; musician of the year, Musical America, 1970; Edison Award, 1972, for Manon; Mus.D., Temple University, 1972, New York University, 1973, New England Conservatory, 1973, and Harvard University, 1974; Hanel Medallion for artistic achievement, New York City, 1974; Emmy Award, outstanding classical music program, 1975, for Profile in Music: Beverly Sills, Festival '75;Grammy Award, best classical performance-vocal soloist, 1976, for (Herbert) Music of Victor Herbert; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding special-comedy/variety or music, 1977, for Sills and Burnett at the Met; Emmy Award, 1978, for Lifestyles with Beverly Sills; Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Harvard University, 1978; Pearl S. Buck Women's Award, 1979; Recording Industry Association of America Cultural Award,Recording Industry Association of America, 1979; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding classical program in the performing arts, 1980, for Beverly Sillsin Concert; Presidential Medal of Freedom, United States Executive Officeof the President, 1980; Golden Baton Award, American Symphony Orchestra League, 1980; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding classical program in the performing arts, 1981, for "A Lincoln Center Special: Beverly! Her Farewell Performance," Great Performances; Charles Evans Hughes Gold Medal Award, National Conference of Christians and Jews, 1984; Kennedy Center Honors, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 1985; Gold Medal, National Institute of Social Sciences, 1985; National Medal of Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, 1990; also received an honorary doctorate from the California Instituteof the Arts. Addresses: Contact: Edgar Vincent, 157 West 57th St., NewYork, NY 10019.

Nationality: American
Gender: Female
Occupation: Actress, opera singer, administrator
Birth Details: May 25, 1929; Brooklyn, New York, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Appearances
Micaela, Carmen, Philadelphia Civic Opera, Philadelphia, PA, 1941
Helen of Troy, Mefistofele, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco, CA, 1953
Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus, New York City Opera, New York City, 1955
Baby Doe, The Ballad of Baby Doe, New York City Opera, 1958
Intolleranza, 1960
Queen of the Night, Die Zauberfloete (also known as The Magic Flute), Opera Company of Boston, Boston, MA, 1964
The Tales of Hoffman, New Orleans Opera Company, New Orleans, LA,1964
Donna Anna, Don Giovanni, New York City Opera, 1964
Constanza, The Abduction from the Seraglio, 1964
Queen of the Night, Die Zauberfloete (also known as The Magic Flute), Vienna State Opera, Vienna, Austria, 1967
Title role, Manon, 1968-69
The Siege of Corinth, La Scala, Milan, Italy, 1969
Robin Hood Dell, Philadelphia, PA, 1969
Title role, Lucia di Lammermoor, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,England, 1970
Violetta, La Traviata, Deutsche Oper, West Berlin, West Germany (now Berlin, Germany), 1970
Pamira, Le siege de Corinthe (also known as The Siege of Corinth), Metropolitan Opera, New York City, 1975
Title role, Lucia di Lammermoor, Metropolitan Opera, 1976
Thaies, Metropolitan Opera, 1978
Juana, La loca, San Diego Opera, San Diego, CA, 1979
Also appeared in Tales of Hoffman, New York City Opera; as Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, New York City Opera, Lincoln Center; Queen Elizabeth I, Roberto Devereaux; Marie, Daughter of the Regiment; Rosina, The Barber of Seville; Anne Boleyn (title role), Anna Bolena;Mary Stuart (Mary, Queen of Scots, the Queen of England; title role), Maria Stuarda; title role, Norma; title role, Lucrezia Borgia;Madame Goldentrill, The Impresario; Prima Donna, Six Characters inSearch of an Author; Milly Theale, Wings of the Dove; Queen of Shemakha, Le coq d'or; and in Il trittico, I puritani, Suor angelica, Il tabarro, I Capuleti e I Montecchi, and Ariodante. Appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, 1971.
Major Tours
Micaela, Carmen, Charles L. Wagner Opera Company, U.S. cities, 1951-52
Violetta, La Traviata, Charles L. Wagner Opera Company, U.S. cities, 1951-52
Television Appearances
Specials
Profile in Music: Beverly Sills, Festival '75, PBS, 1975
Sills and Burnett at the Met, CBS, 1976
Rosina, "The Barber of Seville," Great Performances, PBS, 1976
"Manon" (also known as "New York City Opera: Manon" and "Live from Lincoln Center"), Great Performances, PBS, 1977
Beverly Sills in Concert, PBS, 1978
Interviewer, Skyline: Gordon Parks, PBS, 1979
"A Lincoln Center Special: Beverly! Her Farewell Performance," Great Performances, PBS, 1980
The Dean Martin Christmas Special, NBC, 1980
Norina, "Don Pasquale," Live from the Met, PBS, 1980
Walt Disney.One Man's Dream, CBS, 1981
John Denver: Music and the Mountains, ABC, 1981
Host, "The Preservation Hall Jazz Band," On Stage at Wolf Trap, PBS, 1985
Host, "The National Symphony Orchestra on Stage at Wolf Trap: Rostropovich Conducts Shostakovich," On Stage at Wolf Trap, PBS, 1985
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, 1985
We the People, CBS, 1986
Host, "The Night of Music: A Global Celebration," Great Performances, PBS, 1986
Host, "The New Sousa Band on Stage at Wolf Trap," On Stage at Wolf Trap, PBS, 1986

Host, "The Golden Boys of Bandstand," On Stage at Wolf Trap, PBS,1986
Host, Gala of Stars 1986, PBS, 1986
Host, "Candide" (also know as "Live from Lincoln Center"), Great Performances, PBS, 1986
Host, "Die Zauberfloete" (also known as "The Magic Flute"), Live fromLincoln Center, PBS, 1987
Host, The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Show, 1987
Host, "Rigoletto," Live from Lincoln Center, PBS, 1988
Host, Omnibus, ABC, 1988
Host, "The New Moon: The New City Opera at Wolf Trap," Great Performances, PBS, 1989
Host, "Bernstein at 70," Great Performances, PBS, 1989
Dinah Comes Home Again, 1990
Host, The 1990 Richard Tucker Gala, PBS, 1990
Host, Carnegie Hall: Live at 100! The Gala Celebration, PBS, 1991
Host, The Legacy of Richard Tucker, PBS, 1994
Great Moments in Opera, PBS, 1996
Host, "San Francisco Opera Gala Celebration," Great Performances,PBS, 1997
Host, "New York Philharmonic with Kurt Masur and Sarah Chung," Live from Lincoln Center, PBS, 1998
Host, "New York City Opera: Benjamin Britten's Paul Bunyan," Live fromLincoln Center, PBS, 1998
Also appeared in Lifestyles with Beverly Sills.
Television Work
Specials
Produced specials about music.
Television Appearances
Episodic
Evening at the Pops, PBS, 1970
A Conversation with Dinah, TNN, 1989
Burt Wolf/Eating Well, PBS, 1992
Also appeared in Stars of the Future, NBC.
Film Appearances
Music performer, The Money Pit, Universal, 1986
Also appeared in Uncle Sol Solves It.
Radio Appearances
(As Bubbles Silverman) Uncle Bob's Rainbow Hour, 1931-34
Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour (also known as the Major Bowes Capitol Family Hour), CBS, 1934-41
Also appeared in Our Gal Sunday and the Cresta Blanca CarnivalShow.
RECORDINGS
Albums
Scenes and Arias from French Opera, Westminster, 1968
Mozart and Strauss Arias, Audio Treasure, 1969
A Beverly Sills Concert, Angel, 1972
The Tales of Hoffman (also known as Contes d'Hoffman), Angel, 1972
Anna Bolena, Angel, 1973
I puritani, Angel, 1973
Lucia di Lammermoor, Angel, 1974
Manon, Angel, 1974
Norma, Angel, 1974
Bellini and Donizetti Heroines, Angel, 1974
Beverly Sills Sings Mozart and Strauss, Angel, 1974
Mad Scenes from "I puritani," "Lucia di Lammermoor," "Anna Bolena," and "Hamlet," Angel, 1974
The Three Queens: Excerpts from the Donizetti Trilogy, Angel, 1975
(Herbert) Music of Victor Herbert, Angel, 1976
Beverly Sills: A Farewell, Angel, 1980
Beverly Sills Sings Verdi, Angel, 1985
Maria Stuarda, ABC Records/Angel, 1985
The Art of Beverly Sills, EMI Angel, 1985
Welcome to Vienna, Angel, 1985
Also recorded other albums, including Great Scores (with Placido Domingo), and Beverly Sills in Concert.
Taped Readings
On My Own, Bantam Audio (New York City), 1987
Other Recordings
Spoke at the National Press Club, 1974, and at a luncheon for the Wolf Trap Farm Park, 1981, also interviewed in 1975 and twice in 1976, all recordedby the Voice of America, Voice of America Music Library Collection, the U.S.Library of Congress. Also appeared in Amateur Hour Collection, 1934-1948 (recordings of Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour), Amateur Hour Collection, Guide Record, U.S. Library of Congress Music Division.
WRITINGS
Memoirs
Bubbles: A Self Portrait, Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis, IN), 1976
Beverly: An Autobiography, Bantam (New York City), 1987

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

New York Times, February 13, 1996, .*

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