Meet our Academy Faculty

Sherrill Milnes is universally acclaimed as the foremost operatic baritone of his generation. With his powerful voice, commanding stage presence and rugged handsomeness, he received the kind of adulation that is usually reserved for tenors. He sang over 650 performances at the Met, where he was honored with sixteen new productions, seven opening nights, and ten national telecasts. As a leading artist in all of the world’s great opera houses, Mr. Milnes performed and recorded with the likes of Domingo, Pavarotti, Sutherland, Sills, Horne, Price, and Tebaldi. He is the winner of three Grammy Awards, and the most recorded American singer of his time. In 2008 he received the Opera News Award for Distinguished Achievement. Born on January 10, 1935 in Downers Grove, Illinois, Sherrill Milnes made his critically acclaimed debut at the Metropolitan Opera on December 22, 1965 as Valentin in Faust, an auspicious night that also featured the Met debut of Montserrat Caballé. He was launched to stardom, however, in 1968, when his riveting performance as Miller in Verdi’s Luisa Miller literally stopped the show at the Met and immediately made him the dominant baritone of his time. Throughout his remarkable career, Mr. Milnes showed an affinity for Verdi, whose works formed the cornerstone of a repertoire of some 70 roles. His autobiography, American Aria: Encore, is available from Amadeus Press. Driven by his dedication to make the vocal arts vibrant, vital and entertaining in today’s world, Mr. Milnes continues to give masterclasses, judge competitions, and mentor new generations of singers. With his wife, Maria Zouves, he co-founded and runs the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs: VOICExperience Foundation and the Savannah VOICE Festival, which provide training and performance opportunities for aspiring young artists while fostering new audiences for the arts.

Sherrill Milnes to Return to the Stage at Opera Naples

World-Renowned Operatic Baritone Sherrill Milnes Stars In Opera Naples’ Production Of ON THE TOWN

 

RAMÓN TEBAR is considered one of the leading Spanish conductors of his generation. Recently appointed new Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of Valencia Symphony Orchestra in Spain for a first period of four years, he holds other positions in both America and Europe such as: Opera Naples (Artistic Director, 2014-…), Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia (Principal Guest Conductor, 2015-…); Florida Grand Opera (Music Director and Principal Conductor, 2010-…, being the first Spanish conductor to be appointed Music Director of an American opera company); Palm Beach Symphony (Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, 2007-…); Santo Domingo Music Festival (2009-2015). Acclaimed for his musical versatility, compelling interpretations and orchestra building skills, conductor Ramón Tebar’s international reputation in both the opera and orchestral arenas continues to expand. Among the orchestras and opera companies he has conducted and will conduct are: Philharmonia Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, St. Petersburg Symphony, Moscow State Symphony, Malasyan Philharmonic, Orchestre de Rouen, Het Gelders Orkest, Bulgarian National Radio Symphony, Munich Radio Symphony, Prague Philharmonia, Spanish National Orchestra (OCNE), Spanish Radio Television Orchestra (ORTVE), Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC), Galicia Symphony Orchestra (OSG), Valencia Orchestra,…Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Regio di Parma, Cincinnati Opera, Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Gran Teatre del Liceu, Kremlin Palace, Royal Festival Hall, Kölner Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wiener Staatsoper,… Ramón Tebar has been recognized with various honors and awards, including the Henry C. Clark Conductor of the Year Award by Florida Grand Opera in 2010 and 2013, The Miami Herald as “Top 20 under 40” and “100 españoles by Marca España”. In 2014, he was bestowed the Cross of Officer of the Order of Mérito Civil in recognition of his cultural accomplishments by His Majesty, the King of Spain Felipe VI. Tebar has recorded for UNIVERSAL MUSIC, UNITEL CLASSICA and DECCA.

MARIA ZOUVES is an educator, director, producer, and writer. She is Executive Director of the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs − VOIC Experience Foundation and the Savannah VOICE Festival – which she co-founded with her husband, Sherrill Milnes, to provide training for aspiring young artists and foster new audiences for the vocal arts. The Greek American soprano has sung leading roles in the regional U.S., made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1997, and has recorded under the VAI label. While Maria directs most of the concerts in the VOICE Programs and co-directed the new SVF opera commission, Ching’s Alice Ryley, a Savannah ghost story, she most recently directed Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre in Prague, where the work first premiered and co-directed Le Nozze de Figaro with Sherrill Milnes this summer in Prague and Salzburg with Prague Summer Nights. She was recently seen in the title role of the premiere of Ching’s Anna Hunter: The Spirit of Savannah.Ms. Zouves has directed, taught, and produced events all around the world, having worked with the International Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI) in Montreal and Puerto Rico, the International Institute of Vocal Arts (IIVA) in Chiari, Italy, and at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland. From 2007 to 2011, she served as Vice President and Associate General Director of Opera Tampa, the resident opera company of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. She has taught workshops at Southern Illinois University, Drake University and served as an interim opera director at Northwestern University. A sought-after clinician, particularly in career development, she has also aided young singers as a career liaison through her former feature, “A Conversation With…” in Classical Singer magazine.Ms. Zouves has sung leading roles with the Baltimore Opera, Florentine Opera, Memphis Opera, New Jersey State Opera, Orlando Opera, and the Pittsburgh Opera. The Stuttgarter Zeitung praised her “beautiful, lyric voice” and “a not to be surpassed ‘piano’ in the high register.” Opera News has described her voice as “creamy.” This Greek-American soprano shows great versatility in opera, on concert stages, and in crossover repertoire, with a specialty in classical and popular Greek music.