Mildred Posvar

1924 - 2023

Mildred Miller Posvar, former opera star, Pitt's First Lady, 98, died in her Oakland home Wednesday evening, Nov. 29, 2023, just weeks shy of her 99th birthday. Known professionally as Mildred Miller, and Millie to her many friends and colleagues, she led a unique and full life as musician, teacher, wife and mother. As Mildred Miller, she was one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her day. She graced the stage and charmed audiences at the Metropolitan Opera and major opera houses across the United States and Europe. Being diagnosed late in life with Parkinson's Disease did not hold her back: Until this last year, she maintained an active calendar, attending board meetings, the symphony, opera, football games, and family gatherings. Mildred was born Dec. 16, 1924, in Cleveland, Ohio, daughter of German immigrants Elsa and Wilhem Mller. After graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1946, she attended the New England Conservatory of Music, where she honed her operatic skills under the tutelage of Boris Goldovsky, making her opera debut in 1946 at the Tanglewood Music Festival in "Peter Grimes" conducted by Leonard Bernstein. She embarked to Italy with a Frank Huntington Beebe Fellowship, where she reconnected with high school classmate, Wesley Wentz Posvar, who, after graduating from West Point, was headed to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. In 1950, they married at the same chapel in Stuttgart where her parents had exchanged vows. They made their home in Oxford, England. While he completed his degree, she continued to sing throughout Europe. Mildred Miller made her debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera on Nov. 17, 1951, as Cherubino in "The Marriage of Figaro" (Le Nozze di Figaro), a role for which she holds the Met record for most performances. During her 23 years at the Met (1951-1974), she sang 338 performances, including 31 live radio broadcasts. In all, she sang 21 different roles, including the title role in "Carmen," Suzuki in "Madama Butterfly" and, her favorite, Octavian in "Der Rosenkavalier." At the Met, she became known as "Legs Miller," having been cast in numerous "pants roles." She shared the stage with some of opera's greatest legends. As a recitalist and soloist, she performed for audiences in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. She sang at the White House, at the retirement dinner of Chief Justice Earl Warren in 1969. In 1971, she sang the National Anthem at the first-ever night game of baseball's World Series, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. She was known especially for her singing of German Lieder, and as a recording artist, she received the Grand Prix du Disque for the 1963 release of Mahler's "Songs of a Wayfarer" (Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen) and Brahms' "Alto Rhapsody," conducted by Bruno Walter with the New York Philharmonic. During the 1950s and 1960s, Mildred Miller was a regular on radio and television, including "The Bell Telephone Hour" and "The Voice of Firestone," and also appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show." In 1965, she appeared on the big screen in the opera adaptation of "The Merry Wives of Windsor." Mildred arrived in Pittsburgh in June of 1967, when her husband was named chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. As the university's First Lady, she was a gracious host of countless dinners and receptions for incoming freshman, faculty, alumni and visiting dignitaries. She was also one of the biggest fans of Pitt football and basketball, never holding back her voice, yelling and cheering the teams on. In 1978, after her retirement as a performing artist, she and Helen Knox founded the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh (now Pittsburgh Festival Opera), modeled after Boris Goldovsky's New England Opera Theater, which had left an indelible impression on her as young singer. Its mission was dedicated to education and audience development by bringing professional opera to schools and performing many of the popular operas in English, as well as helping to leverage the careers of emerging artists. In 2011, the company established the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition as another vehicle for identifying and nurturing promising talent. In 1999, 21 years after the company's founding, Mildred retired from her role as artistic director. She hardly slowed down. She continued to serve on the Opera Theater's board and to provide guidance and inspiration. And at age 75, she also started teaching voice full-time at Carnegie Mellon's School of Music, not retiring until 20 years later, at age 95. She was a longtime board member of the Pittsburgh Opera and served on the Music Advisory Board for the National Endowment for the Arts. She was named a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania and received a Gold Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She holds honorary degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, Bowling Green State University and Washington & Jefferson College. Mildred Miller Posvar excelled in every role she played, whether it was as Cherubino or Carmen, mentor and teacher, or wife, mother and Nana to her seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Her legacy will live on in countless ways: through her music and recordings, the many students she taught at Carnegie Mellon and as a private coach, the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition and past and future beneficiaries of the University of Pittsburgh School of Music Mildred Miller Posvar Scholarship (established in 1972). The University of Pittsburgh Library System's Archives and Special Collections is also home to the Mildred Miller Posvar Papers. After 51 years of marriage, Wesley died in 2001. Her sister, Margot Mller Engelman, also preceded her in death. Mildred is survived by her children, Wesley William Posvar, Marina Posvar and Lisa Posvar Rossi (Nicholas); grandsons, Wesley Fishwick Posvar, Winston Blair Posvar (Jackie), Brian Benjamin Green (Taylor), Derek Wentz Green (Meghan Gill), Christopher Posvar Rossi (Sarah di Marco), Nicholas William Rossi (Rebecca) and Gian Marco Rossi; and great-grandchildren, Ethan Posvar, Jacob Posvar, Penelope Green, Noah Green, Flavio Rossi, Gemma Rossi and Giada Rossi. Visitation will be from 1 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at JOHN A. FREYVOGEL SONS (4900 Centre Ave. at Devonshire Street, Pittsburgh). A funeral service will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at Calvary Episcopal Church (315 Shady Ave., Pittsburgh). A memorial service will be held at a date and location to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to either the Pittsburgh Festival Opera, the Mildred Miller Scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh or the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music.