Shirlee Emmons

She co-authored 4 books on the art of singing, penned a biography on tenor Lauritz Melchior, and also contributed articles to numerous music publications.

In 1950 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship which enabled her to study opera in Italy at the University for Foreigners Perugia and with conductor Mario Cordone at the Music Conservatoire "Giuseppe Verdi", Milan.

In 1947 she gave her first performance in New York City as the soprano soloist in Ludwig van Beethoven's Mass in C major with the Collegiate Chorale under conductor Robert Shaw at Town Hall.

In 1956 she portrayed Guadalena in the American Opera Society's production of Jacques Offenbach's La Périchole at Town Hall with Jennie Tourel in the title role.

[10] That same year she portrayed Susan B. Anthony in Virgil Thomson's The Mother of Us All Off-Broadway in New York,[11] a performance for which she won an Obie Award.

[12] That same year she sang Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte and the title role in Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Santa Fe Opera.

[13] She also sang at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy and performed in leading roles with the NBC Opera Theatre.