Favorite Singers Past & Present

Because I have been asked this question so many times, here are some of my most favorite singers over the years (in no particular order): Eileen Farrell, Leontyne Price, Birgit Nilsson, Renata Tebaldi, Leonie Rysanek, Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, Victoria de los Angeles, Zinka Milanov, Astrid Varnay, Christa Ludwig, Fiorenza Cossotto, Rosalind Elias, Mignon Dunn, Fritz Wunderlich, Franco Corelli, Jussi Bjoerling, Niccolai Gedda, Mario del Monaco, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Ettore Bastianini, Leonard Warren, George London, Gottlob Frick, Ceasare Siepi, Giorgio Tozzi, Sherrill Milnes, James Morris – and countless others.  Included among those artists who were closely associated with specific repertoire and for whom I have enormous respect are Renata Scotto, Mirella Freni, Beverly Sills, Theresa Stratas, Maureen Forrester, Richard Tucker, Jose Carreras, Jon Vickers and Tito Gobbi.  There have been countless other amazing artists whom I have had the privilege of hearing and who, for whatever reason, did not become world famous or who did not happen to record extensively.  In many cases, it is unlikely that their names would be known by anyone other than those colleagues and fans that may actually have heard them perform.  I was very fortunate to have heard almost all of the artists named above in live performances and, in many cases, had the opportunity of performing with them.  For the most part, my favorite singers in recording are the ones that I listened to so passionately in my formative years, along with my fellow students of singing – way back when we were in school and merely dedicated and avid “fans” dreaming of having careers ourselves.  After I became a professional singer myself, there was no longer sufficient time for me to listen to recordings solely for the sheer enjoyment of it.  On the other hand, I was tremendously blessed that, for more than 30 years, I was given the opportunity of working alongside so many world’s greatest singers. Back