THE MUSIC: Massenet's "Cendrillon" is a stunning, magical opera! Its score is absolutely gorgeous featuring a superb character role for a coloratura soprano: La Fée (the Fairy Godmother). In this scene, after the ball, she essentially uses her special powers (and coloratura warblings) to beckon Cinderella and the Prince into a magical forest to meet again.
THE SONGBIRD: Erie Mills is an American coloratura soprano who found wide fame as the Cunegonde of one's dreams in New York City Opera's legendary 1982 revival of Bernstein's "Candide." The production was much admired and something of a cultural event at the time -- it was telecast on PBS and issued as a complete double album. Mills was born in Granite City, Illinois and made her professional debut in 1978 as Norina at Lake George Opera Festival. She quickly rose up the ranks in regional American opera companies (Houston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Arizona, Chicago, San Francisco, etc.) until her New York City Opera debut in "Candide." She was a recipient of a Richard Tucker Foundation grant in 1984, after which her career expanded internationally to Vienna, Hamburg, Edinburgh, and La Scala. Her 30 performances at The Met (1987-1995) included Blonde, Olympia, Adele, Oscar, and Rosina.
