By CHAD CYGAN

American baritone Sherrill Milnes, associated with the Metropolitan Opera for more than 25 years and celebrated particularly for his Verdi roles, is someone well known to lovers of opera. Though his performing career was not as long as some hoped, fans can turn to his many recordings to find a definitive performance of a favorite aria. In going public about vocal surgery and being outspoken about how one must constantly care for the voice differently over the course of a career, he has changed the way the opera world thinks of vocal health and how a career can be rejuvenated. The degree of power in his voice is astonishing, as is his knowledge of vocal repertoire and reputation as a pedagogue. At his master class at Juilliard on September 19, Mr. Milnes delivered his appraisal of singing, which he calls the "wet art" (referring to the singers' preference for keeping water always at hand) to a capacity audience in Paul Hall. Originally from the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Ill., Mr. Milnes kept the singers at ease with his genial Midwestern manner and engaged everyone who came to partake of this barrage of musical wisdom, advice, and water bottles.

Leah Edwards (left) receives instruction from Sherrill Milnes at a master class in Paul Hall in September. (Photo by Nan Melville)

The initial performance was delivered by mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller, with Keun-A Lee at the piano, and set a high standard for the singers to follow. Her sultry presentation of Carmen's famous "Habañera" from Bizet's Carmen captivated everyone, including Mr. Milnes—who was immediately up on his feet, working with Ronnita on how to bring out "the sensuality of the portamento," because he wanted her to give more of herself to the performance. He encouraged Ronnita to take as much time as she needed when "stretching the line," and the effect had us eagerly awaiting her every vocal phrase. Noting the difference between what one hears onstage and what the audience receives, Mr. Milnes explained to Ronnita that "what we feel in our guts is never as much as what comes out to the audience." The result of his work with her was a bigger, fuller sound and a spicier taste of Carmen in Ronnita's peformance, as the passion Mr. Milnes kept urging for appeared in her face and voice.

Before the next vocalist, baritone Alexander Hayek—again accompanied by Keun-A Lee—came out, Mr. Milnes took an opportunity to address the audience directly, advising them "not to go to a concert just to enjoy it, but to go to learn something." Thereafter Alexander delivered a stirring performance of "It is Enough" from Mendelssohn's Elijah, bringing us into the world of oratorio. Mr. Milnes was very familiar with the piece, as it is in his own repertoire. He again explored the vocal portamento and clarified the limits of its usefulness in any piece of music: "If you are in doubt as to whether or not it is stylish, don't do it," he advised. "Clean and general singing is better." Removing the pitch-sliding from the piece improved the focus in Alexander's singing, and the listener could concentrate more upon his message than the vocal display. Mr. Milnes also talked about the onstage etiquette with which oratorio singers need to be familiar. "Don't forget to remain standing until the tenor enters," he told Alexander.

The next four singers presented arias from a variety of Italian and American composers. Baritone Daniel Billings (with Paul Kwak at the piano) sang "Bella siccome un angelo" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale, an aria with which Mr. Milnes is intimately acquainted. "What do we do with a staccato over a tenuto in singing?" he asked Daniel. After explaining that the staccato approach is not appropriate for the vocal instrument, and adjusting how Daniel used hand gestures during the aria, he showed Daniel how to "caress the phrase" in a manner without physical movement, but using vocal tone-coloration. Soprano Brenda Rae Klinkert (accompanied by Vlad Iftinca) really brought down the house with her "Caro nome" from Verdi's Rigoletto; Mr. Milnes and the audience agreed that it was "pretty friggin' good." To iron out fine details in this aria, Mr. Milnes explained how cadenzas within an aria must not be too long or the audience might receive a signal that the piece has ended prematurely. Baritone Paul LaRosa— accompanied by Vlad once more—presented "Silvio's Aria" from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci in a very passionate manner. Recognizing the power with which Paul could sing, Mr. Milnes asked him to remove the physical movement and "just sing without acting it out." We got to see the purity of his marvelous voice as a result, and the feelings expressed in the aria were no less apparent. Last, we heard Leah Edwards sing "The Letter Aria" from Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe. After her very smooth performance, Milnes discussed how important legato singing is, particularly in a narrative piece. This comment renewed her focus on the more connected and forward-moving line in her voice, which brought out the storytelling quality inherent in this scene. Leah delivered a stirring performance—as did the other talented singers who participated, all of whom responded eagerly and effectively to Mr. Milnes' expert coaching.

With his roots as a music-education major and experience in overcoming difficult vocal health obstacles, Mr. Milnes has become an inspiration to singers around the world. On this Monday afternoon, his sense of humor and appreciation for the art of singing inspired performers and audience members alike. As he told us at one point during the master class, water bottle in hand: "Sound is like water; you just turn it on."

Chad Cygan is a master's student in voice.