BEVERLY SILLS

by Bridget Paolucci ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 5, 1990

A useful biography of the prima donna soprano and recently retired manager of the New York City Opera. Sills began singing on the radio at the age of four; at seven, she was accepted as the first child to be a student of the respected Estelle Liebling. Paolucci traces the development of Sills' extraordinary talent and illustrious career, while making it clear that in the opera world constant hard work is essential to success. Sills is an ebullient, attractive person who rose above personal adversities (one of her children is profoundly deaf, the other severely retarded) to become a great artist--and then brought the City Opera from the brink of financial collapse to new stability. Her innovations (e.g., English subtitles) have popularized opera; and her decision to extend the season to the summer gave City Opera a chance to attract new audiences without competing with the adjacent Metropolitan Opera. Amply illustrated with b&w photos, this is both entertaining and enlightening. List of further readings; chronology; discography; index.

Pub Date: Jan. 5, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 111

Publisher: Chelsea House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1990

Categories: CHILDREN'S