Milnes is Magnificent

Black and white photograph of opera singer, Sherrill Milnes from the Metropolitan Opera. 

Sherrill Milnes is an American operatic baritone, who made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera at the age of 30, in 1965. He is most famous for his "Verdi roles," performances in operas composed by Italian Giuseppe FortuInino Francesco Verdi. In his career, Milnes has performed with the Opera Company of Boston, Baltimore Opera, New York City Opera, in addition to his lengthy association with the Metropolitan Opera, which lasted until 1997. Milnes' European debut came in 1964 when he sang Figaro from The Barber of Seville at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan, and he was catapulted into international fame for his performance of the role of Miller in Verdi's Luisa Miller in 1968. 

Milnes has received the Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award, the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government, Yale University's Sanford Medal, and the Order of Lincoln from the Governor of Illinois. Milnes and his wife, soprano Maria Zouves, founded a non-profit organization called the VOICExperience Foundation in 2001, for the purpose of educating young singers.