Guide to the Mildred Miller Posvar Papers, 1939-2008 CTC.2009.01
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Mildred Miller Posvar Papers
Creator
Miller, Mildred
Collection
CTC.2009.01
Collection
/repositories/10/resources/705
Extent
15 Linear Feet(23 boxes and 15 scrapbooks)
Date
1939-2008
Abstract
Mildred Miller Posvar was a star performer at the Metropolitan Opera from 1951 to 1974 and the wife of Wesley Posvar, the fifteenth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. The Mildred Miller Posvar Papers are a mixed media collection primarily documenting her performing career at the Met. The materials also cover her training at the New England Conservatory of Music, her position as the First Lady of the University of Pittsburgh, and her involvement in the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. The collection includes compact discs, video tapes, newspaper and magazine clippings, programs, photographs, scrapbooks, and correspondence.
Language
The material in this collection is in English and German.
Author
William Daw.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Preferred Citation
Mildred Miller Posvar Papers, 1939-2008, CTC.2009.01, Curtis Theatre Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
Mildred Miller Posvar Papers, 1939-2008, CTC.2009.01, Curtis Theatre Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mildred Miller Posvar in 1978, June 2009, and September 2013.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Christie Graci and William Daw in 2009-2010.
Scope and Content Notes
The Mildred Miller Posvar Papers are arranged into seven series. The single largest portion of the collection is the audio recordings. These recordings were on cassette tapes, reel to reel, and vinyl records. Since the donation, they have been transferred to compact discs. Other items in the collection include photographs, programs, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and a small amount of correspondence. The majority of the materials focus on her performing career, however there are some items that relate to her position as the University's First Lady and her involvement in the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh.
Biography
Mildred Miller Posvar, known professionally as Mildred Miller, is a classical mezzo-soprano who had a career performing in operas, concerts, and recitals beginning in the 1940's. She made her opera debut in 1946 at the Tanglewood Music Festival. She was a principal artist at the Metropolitan Opera in New York from 1951 through 1974. In 1978 she founded the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and served as its Artistic Director until 1999. She taught music and voice first at the University of Pittsburgh and presently teaches at Carnegie Mellon University. She has also taught master classes in many other institutions.
She was born Mildred Müller on December 16, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio and attended the Cleveland Metropolitan School District graduating from West High School 1942. She entered the Cleveland Institute of Music where she was a voice student of Marie Simmelink Kraft. After graduating in 1946, she entered the New England Conservatory where she earned her Artist Diploma in 1948. After studying and performing abroad she met up with Wesley Wentz Posvar, a schoolmate from her high school in Cleveland. Wesley and Mildred were married on June 13, 1950. After her marriage, she continued to use the stage name of Mildred Miller in all matters and materials that related to her performing career.
Her 1951 debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in the role of Cherubino, in Mozart's Le nozze di Figero, began a string of 24 consecutive years of performing at the Met. Mrs. Posvar was also mentored by Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976) and became a prominent Lieder singer. She performed in Italy, Germany, Austria, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, China, and all over the United States. She was also a frequent featured guest on radio and television shows like the Voice of Firestone, the Bell Telephone Hour, and the Ed Sullivan Show. In 1967, Wesley Posvar became the Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. During her time as First Lady of Pitt, she continued to perform at the Met and toured regularly. Mrs. Posvar also gave the first performance by a musician at the Nixon White House for the retirement of Chief Justice Earl Warren in 1969.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into seven series:
Series I. Programs, 1944-2004
Series II. Ephemera, 1942-2008
Series III. Newspaper Clippings, 1949-2008
Series IV. Photographs, 1946-2008
Series V. Audio/Visual Recordings, 1953-1965
Series VI. Scrapbooks, 1939-1973
Series VII. Oversized Materials, 1952-1972
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Related Material
Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, Wesley W. Posvar, Administrative Files, 1967-1991, UA.2.10.1967-1991, University of Pittsburgh Archives, Archives & Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Subjects
Corporate Names
University of Pittsburgh -- Administration
Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh
Metropolitan Opera (New York, N.Y.)
Personal Names
Lehmann, Lotte
Posvar, Wesley Wentz
Miller, Mildred
Genres
Scrapbooks
Clippings (Information artifacts)
Ephemera
Photographs
Sound recordings
Audiocassettes
Audiotapes
Videocassettes
Long-playing records
Theater programs
Other Subjects
University of Pittsburgh
Theater
Music
Opera -- New York (State) -- New York -- 20th century
Opera -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Mezzo-sopranos -- New York (State) -- New York
Container List
Scope and Content Notes
Within this series are miscellaneous materials including press releases, correspondence, speeches, etc. Of particular note are the materials that relate to the Mildred Miller fan club, materials from her performances on the Voice of Firestone and the Bell Telephone Hour, and printouts from the Metropolitan Opera's database that list every one of Miller's Met performances. The items are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Containers
box 10, folder 1
Containers
box 10, folder 2
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box 10, folder 3
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box 10, folder 4
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box 10, folder 5
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box 10, folder 6
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box 10, folder 7
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box 10, folder 8
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box 10, folder 9
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box 10, folder 10
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box 10, folder 11
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box 10, folder 12
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box 11, folder 1
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box 11, folder 2
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box 11, folder 3-4
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box 11, folder 5
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box 11, folder 6
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box 11, folder 7
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box 11, folder 8
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box 11, folder 9
Containers
box 12, folder 1
Containers
box 12, folder 2
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box 12, folder 3
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box 12, folder 4
Containers
box 12, folder 5
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box 12, folder 6
Containers
box 12, folder 7
Containers
box 12, folder 8
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box 12, folder 9
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box 12, folder 10
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box 12, folder 11
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box 12, folder 12
Containers
box 13, folder 1-2
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box 13, folder 3
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box 13, folder 4
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box 13, folder 5
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box 13, folder 6
Containers
box 13, folder 7
Scope and Content Notes
In this series are newspaper and magazine clippings. There are concert reviews, advertisements, and articles on the Posvar's home life. The clippings are in chronological order.
Containers
box 14, folder 1-12
Containers
box 15, folder 1-19
Containers
box 16, folder 1-10
Scope and Content Notes
This series of photographs are arranged in alphabetical order by subject title. These photos show Mildred Miller Posvar in all of her various roles – opera star, recitalist, first lady, wife, and mother. There are several large photographs that are in the oversized materials series.
Containers
box 17, folder 1
Containers
box 17, folder 2
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box 17, folder 3
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box 17, folder 4
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box 17, folder 5
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box 17, folder 6
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box 17, folder 7
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box 17, folder 8
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box 17, folder 9
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box 17, folder 10
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box 17, folder 11
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box 17, folder 12
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box 17, folder 13
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box 17, folder 14
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box 17, folder 15
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box 17, folder 16
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box 17, folder 17
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box 18, folder 1
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box 18, folder 2
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box 18, folder 3
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box 18, folder 4
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box 18, folder 5
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box 18, folder 6
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box 18, folder 7
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box 18, folder 8
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box 18, folder 9
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box 18, folder 10
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box 18, folder 11
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box 18, folder 12
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box 18, folder 13
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box 18, folder 14-15
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box 19, folder 1
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box 19, folder 2
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box 19, folder 3
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box 19, folder 4
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box 19, folder 5
Containers
box 19, folder 6-7
Containers
box 20, folder 1
Materialspec
This tour is also refered to as the "Oriental Recital Tour" in newspaper and magazine articles. There is one scrapbook that documents this tour in the scrapbook series.
Containers
box 20, folder 2-3
Containers
box 20, folder 4
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box 20, folder 5
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box 20, folder 6
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box 20, folder 7
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box 20, folder 8
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box 20, folder 9
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box 21, folder 1
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box 21, folder 2
Containers
box 21, folder 3
Containers
box 21, folder 4-5
Containers
box 21, folder 6
Scope and Content Notes
There were over 200 audio recordings that were donated to the Curtis Collection along with Mrs. Posvar's papers. A small amount of the recordings were commercially available LPs; these were added to the Music Library's circulating collection. Of the non-commercially available materials, there were vinyl records, reel to reel tapes, and cassette tapes. These recordings have been transferred onto compact discs. Each of the recordings is in the process of being cataloged individually and indexed in the University of Pittsburgh Library System's online catalog, Pittcat+. For inquires into these materials please contact Special Collections staff.
There are also 10 VHS tapes in this series. Most of these VHS tapes are Mildred Miller's performances on the Bell Telephone Hour and Voice of Firestone television programs. Also included is a North American VHS copy of her Austrian film the Merry Wives of Windsor. They are available to be taken from the Special Collections Department Reading Room to the Stark Media Services Department on the ground floor of the Hillman Library for viewing.
Please click here to see the audio recordings that have been cataloged and are available for use at the Music Library.
Containers
box 22, video 1
Containers
box 22, video 2
Containers
box 22, video 3
Containers
box 22, video 4
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box 22, video 5
Containers
box 22, video 6-10
Scope and Content Notes
There are 15 scrapbooks in this series. They contain newspaper clippings, programs, and in some instances photographs. Some of the date ranges for the scrapbooks overlap and clippings are duplicated in multiple scrapbooks. For the most part, the scrapbooks center on the performing career of Mildred Miller from her days in high school through her years as a mainstay of the Metropolitan Opera. Not many of the scrapbooks have a more singular theme than that. But, there are a few that are more focused and have shorter date spans. For example the scrapbooks which cover Mildred's time in high school, her years in Colorado, and the Posvars tour of Asia. The scrapbooks are in chronological order by the first year that is covered. The majority of these scrapbooks are in fragile condition and should be handled with care.
Containers
box 22, volume 1
Containers
box 22, volume 2
Containers
box 22, volume 3
Containers
box 22, volume 4
Containers
box 22, volume 5-7
Containers
box 22, volume 8
Containers
box 22, volume 9
Containers
box 22, volume 10
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box 22, volume 11
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box 22, volume 12
Containers
box 22, volume 13
Containers
box 22, volume 14
Containers
box 22, volume 15
Scope and Content Notes
This series contains oversized materials that include awards, photographs, and posters. Several of the photographs are matted and in folio folders.
Containers
box 23, folder 1
Containers
box 23, folder 2
Containers
box 23, folder 3
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box 23, folder 4
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box 23, folder 5
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box 23, folder 6
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box 23, folder 7
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box 23, folder 8
Containers
box 23, folder 9
Scope and Content Notes
The contents of this series were donated by Mildred Posvar and her daughter Lisa Rossi in September 2013.
The materials consist of newspaper clippings, recital and concert programs, performance contracts, and correspondence. Also included are Mrs. Posvar's high school yearbook and a set of items relating to her performance in honor of Chief Justice Earl Warren and Mrs. Warren at the White House, on April 23, 1969. Among the items are a thank you letter by President Richard Nixon. The contracts represent Mildred Miller's various performances during the 1950s. There are contracts for the Metropolitan Opera, radio and television appearances, Community Concerts through Columbia Artists Management, etc. Please note that there is only one contract post 1957.