FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 29, 1999 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 FARM BOY TURNED OPERA STAR RETURNS TO DRAKE Drake University alumnus Sherrill Milnes, one of the foremost operatic baritones of this century, will return to his alma mater Nov. 9 and 10. He will be speaking with students, coaching opera scenes and presenting master classes. All of the sessions, which are free and open to the public, will be held on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 26th Street and University Avenue. On Tuesday, Nov. 9, Milnes will give advice for young singers from 1 to 1:50 p.m., then from 2 to 2:50 p.m. he will have a dialogue with singers. He will coach Drake students enrolled in the Opera Workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. On Wednesday, Nov. 10, he will conduct a master class for singers from four local high schools from 10 a.m. to noon. He also will work with six Drake voice students from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. Nov. 10, the world-renowned singer and author of "American Aria: From Farm Boy to Opera Star," will hold a book signing at Borders Books, Music & Cafe in West Des Moines. Milnes' autobiography details the struggles and triumphs of his climb to the top of his profession and spills insider gossip about the characters of backstage opera. The book begins with his childhood on a dairy farm outside of Chicago in Downers Grove, Ill., a background that taught him the value of hard work. He began his singing career first as a choir boy in his mother's church and then began serious vocal study in high school and college. He studied under Andrew White at Drake, earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in music in the hope of becoming a teacher. He went on to graduate studies at Northwestern University and got his first great break when he won an audition with Boris Goldovsky Opera Co., an event he has called the "luckiest possible beginning" for his career. After trekking more than 100,000 miles by bus and giving over 300 performances, he earned an invitation to join the Metropolitan Opera in 1965. In addition to his performing career, Milnes has worked extensively with young singers, leading master classes at the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools in New York, at major universities throughout the country, and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.