Robert Merrill biography

Synopsis

Baritone Robert Miller was born in New York City to immigrant parents from Warsaw. He sang popular music before making his operatic debut in 1944, joining the Metropolitan Opera in 1945 where he remained a favorite for 30 years. He also appeared in recitals, with orchestras, in films, and in musical comedy. Among his recordings are Showboat and Carousel, as well as many complete Verdi operas.

Profile

Baritone, born in New York City, USA. The son of immigrant parents from Warsaw, his mother was a concert singer and gave him his first singing lessons. He later studied with Samuel Margolis in New York, and sang popular music before making his operatic debut in 1944, joining the Metropolitan Opera in 1945 where he remained a favourite for 30 years. He also appeared in recitals, with orchestras, in films, and in musical comedy. Among his recordings are Showboat and Carousel, as well as many complete Verdi operas. He wrote two books of autobiography, Once More From the Beginning (1965) and Between Acts (1977), and a novel, The Divas (1978). A lifelong fan of baseball, he sang the US national anthem on the opening day of the baseball season for three decades. He was honoured with the National Medal of Arts in 1993.