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