Mildred Miller facts for kids
Mildred Miller (born December 16, 1924 – died November 29, 2023) was an American singer known for her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice. She had a very successful career performing in operas, concerts, and recitals in the middle of the 20th century. She was a main performer at the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1951 to 1974. Later, in 1978, she started the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and was its Artistic Director until 1999.
Mildred Miller was especially praised for singing German songs called Lieder. She even won a special award, the Grand Prix du Disque, for her recording of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with conductor Bruno Walter. In opera, she was famous for playing "pants roles," which are male characters played by women. Her role as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro was so well-known that people nicknamed her "Legs Miller"! She also received a Gold Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and several special degrees from colleges.
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Becoming a Singer: Early Life and Training
Mildred Miller was born Mildred Müller in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents, Elsa and Wilhem Müller, had moved from Stuttgart, Germany. She went to school in Cleveland and graduated from West High School in 1942. After high school, she studied singing at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) with her teacher, Marie Simmelink Kraft.
After finishing at CIM in 1946, Mildred went to the New England Conservatory (NEC). There, she learned from Marie Sundelius. During her summers, she also studied opera with Boris Goldovsky at the Tanglewood Music Center. In 1946, she performed in her first opera, Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten, in the United States. This show was conducted by the famous Leonard Bernstein. She continued to perform with Goldovsky's New England Opera Theater in 1947-1948, singing in operas like Carmen.
After getting a special diploma from NEC in 1948, Mildred traveled to Italy to study opera for several months. In 1949, she moved to Stuttgart, Germany, where her parents were from. She joined the Staatsoper Stuttgart opera company for two years. During this time, she performed in many important places, including the Bavarian State Opera and the Vienna State Opera. In 1950, she married Wesley Posvar, an officer in the U.S. Air Force who was studying in Europe. They had met in high school but reconnected later.
Singing on the Big Stages: The Met and Beyond
While Mildred was performing in Germany, Rudolf Bing, the head of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, noticed her talent. He offered her a contract to sing at the Met. At first, she said no because the roles seemed too small. But he offered her a better deal, and she made her debut at the Met on November 17, 1951. Her first role was Cherubino in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. This was also the first time she used the name "Mildred Miller" instead of "Mildred Müller." Mr. Bing thought a different name would be better after World War II.
Mildred Miller stayed at the Met for 23 years, performing 338 times! She played many different characters, including Annina and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Dorabella in Così fan tutte. She also sang the main role in Carmen. Her last performance at the Met was on December 3, 1974, as Lola in Cavalleria rusticana.
Even while she was busy at the Met, Mildred Miller also performed as a guest singer at many other opera houses around the world. She often sang at the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt in Germany. She also performed in major U.S. cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. Besides opera, she gave many concerts, including at famous places like Carnegie Hall and even the White House. You might have also seen her on popular TV shows like The Bell Telephone Hour and The Ed Sullivan Show.
Life in Pittsburgh and Helping Others
In 1967, Mildred Miller and her husband moved to Pittsburgh. Her husband, Wesley Posvar, became the President (and later Chancellor) of the University of Pittsburgh. They were known as the "first family" of the university for almost 25 years. The University of Pittsburgh still gives a music scholarship each year in Mildred Miller's name.
In Pittsburgh, Mildred became a singing teacher and coach. She also started producing and directing opera shows. In 1978, she helped create the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. She was the Artistic Director and a vocal coach for many years. Even after she stepped down as director in 1999, she stayed involved with the company. She also taught at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music and gave special classes to singers all over the world. Mildred Miller's husband passed away in 2001 after more than 50 years of marriage. They had three children: Wesley, Marina, and Lisa.
Mildred Miller passed away on November 29, 2023, at the age of 98.
Images for kids
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Mildred Miller as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier
