Sills, Beverly (1929-2007), an American singer, became one of the most popular operatic sopranos of the 1960’s and 1970’s. She won fame for her flexible voice, her wide range, and her versatility and charm. Sills became noted for her performances of works by such diverse composers as Gaetano Donizetti, George Frideric Handel, and Giuseppe Verdi. She also earned recognition as a fine actress in such roles as Cleopatra in Handel’s Julius Caesar and as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata.
Beverly Sills’s real name was Belle Miriam Silverman. She was born on May 25, 1929, in New York City and received her training there. Sills made her operatic debut in 1947 and joined the New York City Opera in 1955. She sang with leading European opera companies. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1975 in Gioachino Rossini’s The Siege of Corinth. Sills retired as a performer in 1980.
Sills became active in arts administration. She was general director of the New York City Opera from 1980 to 1989. She served as chairwoman of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts from 1994 to 2002. Sills became a managing director of the Metropolitan Opera in 1991 and chairperson of the Metropolitan Opera in 2002. She resigned both positions in 2005. Sills wrote two autobiographies, Bubbles: A Self-Portrait (1976) and Beverly (1987). She died on July 2, 2007.
