Beverly Sills (1929-2007)
Filed under the name Beverly · April 4, 2026
Beverly Sills was one of the great coloratura sopranos, they say, before she went on to run arts organizations later in her life, which I find nearly as impressive as the singing itself. Most folks are lucky to be excellent at one thing across a whole career; she managed two, back to back, first the voice and then the steady, less glamorous work of keeping the arts alive for everybody coming up behind her. That second act reminds me of my own move from the classroom into writing this little column for the county paper — you don't stop having something to give just because the first job's done. I don't know opera from a hole in the ground, if I'm honest, my music runs more toward Patsy Cline and the old hymns, but I know dedication when I read about it. Passing along what you know, the way she must have done for younger singers, that's the real inheritance, more than any voice ever was.