Aprile Millo made a cinderella like debut at the Metropolitan Opera on Dec. 3, 1984 replacing an ailing colleague and caused literally a sensation. The papers next day heralded the birth of a “New Verdi Star!” and 23 years later Millo is still winning praise from objective critics and frenzied ovations from an adoring public. She has sung over 180 performances of 15 different roles at her artistic home- the Metropolitan Opera. Outside New York. Mme. Millo has triumphed in the theaters of Frankfurt, Barcelona, Parma, Rome, Bologna, Torino, the Arena of Verona, The Baths of Caracalla, San Francisco Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Zurich, Paris, Orange, Moscow, Seville, Bilbao, Rio de Janero, Sao Paolo, Santiago, Colon - Buenos Aires and of course, La Scala, Milan. She has collaborated with such great conductors as Herbert von Karajan and Riccardo Muti at La Scala, her great friend and mentor, James Levine, and Giuseppe Sinopoli; she has sung in productions by the greatest stage directors, including “Liu” in TURANDOT, collaborating with legendary stage and film director, Franco Zeffirelli. She was also chosen by Maestro Zefferelli to be the voice of Elizabeth Taylor for the film, “Young Toscanini”. Recording with James Levine a critically acclaimed Verdi series for Sony Classical, Millo has AIDA, IL TROVATORE, LUISA MILLER and DON CARLO on disc and with DG has a highly acclaimed DVD/Video of “Un Ballo in Maschera” with Levine, the Metropolitan Opera and legendary tenor and great friend, Luciano Pavarotti as well as an EMMY Award winning broadcast DVD of “AIDA” with the Met, Levine and famed tenor and great colleague, Placido Domingo. The winner of numerous awards, Millo won the unanimous Primo Premio-First Prize at the Voci Verdiane Concorso in Busetto, Italy, the Montserrat Caballe-Bernabe’Merti Special Verdi Prize Francisco Vinas, The Voce D’Oro, The Richard Tucker Foundation Award, and the Maria Callas Foundation Award, to name a few. Millo is a rare throwback to another age of singing. A voice of quality and extention able to do Bel Canto and Verdi, as well as the demanding rigors of the Puccini and Verismo school. Committed to the “authentic” message and tradition Millo continues to win audiences over to the world of opera and keep the “faith” with all the long time fans. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.