SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News
magazine article helped push Beverly Sills off the opera stage — not because the piece cast her in a negative
light but because it placed her in unequaled limelight.
"When I was 50 years old, I was listed in Time or Newsweek as the highest paid opera singer in the world,"
recalls the legendary diva, 70, who has since become chairman of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
"I was booked for five years and had three new productions at the Metropolitan Opera coming up. I decided
that was the best time to leave, so I did and never regretted it
wanted to go out on top. I wanted people to say it was too soon, not too late. I think its very important to know
when it's time not to stay too long at the fair. I've always prided myself on getting out when people were still protesting."
Sills, whose repertoire grew to more than 70 operas performed around the world, discusses her life and outlook Sept. 14
at Temple Israel for the opening meeting of the Greater Detroit Chapter of Hadassah. Although she no longer raises her voice
as a coloratura soprano, she still can be heard on recordings of 18 full-length operas and several solo recitals.
Accepting public speaking engagements to support her pledges to charitable organizations, Sills also finds these meetings an important
way to communicate about the arts. She shared her enthusiasm with the Detroit Jewish News:
Renowned opera star
Beverly Sills, now
chairman of the
Lincoln Center
for the Performing
Arts, speaks at
Hadassah's opening
meeting on Sept. 14.
?/3
18 Detroit Jewish NewS
JN: What will you be discussing when you address
the members of Hadassah?
BS: I won't make that decision until the very last
minute. When I get there, I'll get a feel for the event
and the occasion. I tell some stories about my
singing career, hopefully funny stories. I really don't
make speeches. I just sort of talk. My husband says,
"Wind her up, and she'll talk."
JN: Do you think it's necessary to have a certain
rapport with people to do that kind of speaking?
BS: Communicating with people is what I've done
all my life, and this is just a continuation of things
that I did. I do 12 or 14 [talks] a year. I think that
because I enjoy it, it's easy for me.
JN: What's a typical day for you, if there is such a
thing?
BS: I'm chairman of the largest, most versatile per-
forming arts center in the world. The 11 con-
stituents that make up Lincoln Center include the
Met, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic
and New York City Opera. [During the week], I'm
in the office by 9:30 [in the morning], and I could
be in the office until half past 11 [at night], when a
performance is over. They're very busy days. I have
to make a great deal of money for Lincoln Center
and a great many decisions. Hopefully, most of
them are good ones, but you just never know.
The only day off I take is Friday. My family and I
go up to our barn [in New York State] and spend
the weekend just enjoying ourselves. I run three
homes, and when we get up to Martha's Vineyard
[in the summer], we're a little anti-social. We just try
to hang out together, swim and do jigsaw puzzles.
JN: What do you consider some of your best
Lincoln Center accomplishments?
BS: Before I came, with the exception of "Mostly
Mozart" and a few outdoor programs, Lincoln Center
was dark in the summer. Now, we have festivals. I feel I
played quite a part in all that, and I certainly helped
raise some money for it. There's a whole tourist bunch
of people who come in to see the wonder of Lincoln
Center, and now, they have a whole series of great
events. The plan is lit up, and sometimes you can see
as many as 10,000 people. I feel very happy about that.
JN: As someone who does fund raising for the arts,
do you feel you have any secrets to your success?