Remembering Opera Legend Shirley Verrett

November 2010

Shirley Verrett, the James Earl Jones Distinguished University Professor of Voice at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, died Friday, November 5, in Ann Arbor at the age of 79.

“She was one of America’s greatest opera singers,” George Shirley, professor emeritus of voice and longtime friend and colleague, told The Detroit Free Press. “She had a tremendous impact artistically and as a person, and in recent years she was a wonderful teacher and mentor for students.”

Described by The New York Times as a “vocally lustrous and dramatically compelling American Opera singer with a plush, rich and powerful voice, thorough musicianship, insightful dramatic skills, charisma and beauty,” Shirley Verrett performed over forty roles, both in the U.S. and abroad, over the course of her career.

She made opera history in 1973, singing both Dido and Cassandra in Berlioz’s Les Troyens at the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera’s production, stepping in at the last minute for an ailing colleague. Known for a unique and varied repertoire, her mastery of a wide range of vocal literature earned her a unique place in opera lore. She was embraced by audiences in Italy after a triumphant performance at La Scala as Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s opera. She was equally beloved at the Paris Opera, where she starred in a series of operas staged especially for her and later appeared at the opening of the Bastille Opera in a widely hailed production of Les Troyens.

Ms. Verrett joined the faculty of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 1996, recruited by George Shirley. “I had always planned to go into acting, drama,” she told Music @ Michigan in 2003. “I love words. … I didn’t think I’d like to teach, at all, but I found quite the opposite—that I truly enjoy it.”

“Young people need to be patient,” she said. “Most singers are in too much of a hurry. They want it all now. First they need to do the work, diligently; study well. If it’s going to be, it will be.”

Always an elegant presence around the School, Verrett mentored students both in vocal skills and professionalism. A term was even coined to describe the transformative experience of time well spent in her studio:  you became “Verretticized.”

“‘The allure of a singing career can be intoxicating,’” she said. “‘All those bravas—brava brava brava!—it’s marvelous. But it disappears. And your family does not. Your family wants you to do well, but if you don’t, they will still love you.”

Ms. Verrett is survived by her husband of 47 years, Lou LoMonaco, and their daughter Francesca. She wrote with candor about the highs and lows of an opera career in her 2003 autobiography I Never Walked Alone.

Lydia Qiu, collaborative pianist who worked with Ms. Verrett and tells us that she always brought flowers to her students and their accompanists for each recital, says, “She will be sadly missed as a wonderful artist, a caring mentor, and a gentle soul.” Obituaries are also published in The New York Times and the Detroit Free Press and elsewhere. A musical celebration of her life is being planned by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance for a future date; check back at this Web site.