Music
Shirley Love
born 1940 · operatic mezzo-soprano
Detroit-born mezzo-soprano, a Wayne State graduate who sang at the Metropolitan Opera for twenty consecutive seasons from 1963.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 86- Detroit years
- 1940–early 1960s
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Love was born in Detroit in 1940 and studied music in her home city at Wayne State University with the voice teacher Avery Crew, starring as Madame Flora in a university production of Menotti's The Medium. While still a teenager she was the soloist at the opening concert of the new South Oakland Symphony in Royal Oak in 1956. She sang with the Robert Shaw Chorale and with regional companies, including the Detroit Opera Theatre, before continuing her training in New York. On November 30, 1963, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as the Second Lady in The Magic Flute, and she stayed for twenty seasons, singing roles such as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Emilia in Otello and Rossweisse in the Ring. In 1964 she was also one of the winners of the American Opera Auditions, alongside Sherrill Milnes, which took her to Milan and Florence.
Highlights
- Metropolitan Opera debut on November 30, 1963
- Twenty consecutive seasons at the Met
- Studied voice at Wayne State University with Avery Crew
- Soloist at the South Oakland Symphony's first concert, Royal Oak, 1956
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1950s–1960s
Wayne State University
Love studied music here with Avery Crew and sang the title role of Menotti's The Medium in a university production.