Biography
American singer, a soaring
lyric operatic soprano and later arts administrator for the City Opera
and the prestigious Metropolitan Opera House in New York. A solidly
trained child prodigy with enduring appeal, she was endowed with a
superb voice, technical facility, and lively stage presence.
Sills was the third child and only daughter born to an insurance
salesman and his wife, both of whom had immigrated to the United States.
Her mother nicknamed her Bubbles when the infant emerged from the womb
with bubbles in her mouth. With encouragement from her stage-struck
mother, Sills sang on the radio for the first time at age four and
became a regular on the children’s show “Uncle Bob’s Rainbow House.” By
the time she was seven she could tap dance and could sing the 23 arias
she had memorized from listening to her mother’s opera records. Both
skills were useful for her ongoing role on “Major Bowes Capital Family
Hour.” After a 36-episode gig on a radio soap opera as a “nightingirl of
the mountains,” she left show business to concentrate on her studies.
Bubbles had not even reached her teens!
After graduation from the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan
where she studied voice, she began singing with touring opera companies,
making her debut at age 17 in "Carmen." She would later comment: “I had
my first high heels, my first updo hair style, my first strapless dress,
and I didn’t know what to hold up first.”
Sills joined the New York City Opera in 1955 and met her husband Peter
Greenough, a newspaperman, while she was on tour. After their marriage
on November 17, 1956, Sills took over as stepmother for his three
daughters over whom he had custody. Their family grew with the birth of
the couple’s daughter Meredith, nicknamed Muffy, on August 4, 1959, and
their son, Peter Bulkeley Greenough, Jr., nicknamed Bucky, on June 29,
1961. When their son was six months old, Sills and her husband received
two sucker-punch diagnoses. First they learned that their daughter was
deaf. Just six weeks later they were told that their son was severely
mentally challenged and autistic. They eventually made the heart-rending
decision to institutionalize their boy.
Sills returned to work some months after learning of her children’s
disabilities, a better artist and a stronger individual. In the late
1960s, her husband became quite wealthy after the family newspaper was
sold. At about the same time, Sills met Sarah Caldwell, an influential
conductor and stage director in the world of opera. Caldwell cast Sills
in many productions, bringing the soprano wider acclaim. In 1966 Sills
landed her breakthrough role singing Cleopatra in Handel’s “Giulio
Cesare.” The effusive praise of critics cast her firmly as a superstar
with an exquisite voice, commanding and versatile singing technique, and
a stage presence that brought complex roles to life. She made an
acclaimed La Scala debut in April 1969 followed by an equally stunning
debut at London’s Covent Garden in December 1970. In 1975 she appeared
for the first time at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. Her career
was everything she had wanted, and the following year she wrote an
autobiography entitled "Bubbles.” In 1978, when she felt that her voice
was losing some of its best qualities, she announced her retirement. At
the same time, she was appointed co-director of the City Opera and later
became director. Under her guidance, the debt-laden company enjoyed
increased funding, a renovated building, new and revitalized
productions, and larger ticket sales.
Sills co-authored her second autobiography, "Beverly," in 1987. Two
years later, when she decided to step down from her post, the City
Opera’s financial picture, previously in significant shortfall, was now
in healthy surplus. She continued working as a consultant, fund-raiser
and spokesperson for the Lincoln Center organization and as a tireless
supporter of charities, particularly the March of Dimes. In 2002 she
announced her retirement from arts administration but was persuaded to
become the chairwoman of the Metropolitan Opera House. She stepped down
in 2005 ostensibly because of her husband’s declining health.
Her beloved husband died at age 89 on September 6, 2006. Ten months
later, on the evening of July 2, 2007, Sills died of lung cancer at her
home in Manhattan, NY.
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