“Miss Ross has the dramatic metal of a Raisa, Ponselle, Traubel, Flagstad, or Nilsson!” – John Rosenfield, The Dallas Morning News[full citation needed] Born Elinor Marilyn Rosenthal in Tampa, Florida,[1] Ross studied at Syracuse University, and later came to New York to study with William Herman, Stanley Sontag and Leo Resnick.

She made her debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1958, as Leonora in Il trovatore, alongside Jussi Björling, Giulietta Simionato and Ettore Bastianini.

In the summer of 1959, Ross sang the American premiere of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Songs of the Tropical Forest” under the composer’s baton.

[1] She sang regularly at the Metropolitan Opera, first in 1970 in the title role of Puccini's Turandot, stepping in on short notice for Birgit Nilsson, alongside Franco Corelli as Calaf and Pilar Lorengar as Liu.

[2] She also appeared at the Met as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, in the title role of Verdi's Aida, as Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Leonora in Il trovatore, Puccini's Tosca and Turandot, Ponchielli's Gioconda, and Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana.

Her repertoire included additional roles such as Abigaille in Verdi's Nabucco, Maddalena in Giordano's Andrea Chénier and Cherubini's Médée.