Edmund Milly

Bass-Baritone Edmund Milly is sought after for his “perfect diction” (Los Angeles Times), distinctive “delicacy and personal warmth” (Boston Classical Review), and “rich and resonant” (KC Metropolis) sound. Recent solo credits include St. Matthew Passions with the Oregon Bach Festival and the Washington Bach Consort, Carmina Burana with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, a staged Brahms Requiem with the Thirteen, Five Mystical Songs at the University of South Carolina, and an evening of Broadway standards with the American Pops Orchestra. The 22/23 season will include his first outings with Bach Collegium San Diego, Seraphic Fire, and TENET, as well as Messiah solos with Tempesta di Mare and Ensemble Altera.

Edmund’s musical education began with cello lessons at age 3. As a student at the American Boychoir School, he amassed formative musical experiences under the batons of Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Mazur, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and André Previn, and gained early exposure to pieces which he continues to perform today. Edmund continued his education at McGill University, and at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where he studied with James Taylor; as a soloist with Yale Schola Cantorum, he honed his craft under the direction of David Hill, Simon Carrington, and Masaaki Suzuki. In his Lincoln Center debut under Maestro Suzuki, Edmund portrayed an "authoritative and confident" Jesus in Bach's St. John Passion (Seen and Heard International). Since then, he has sung the role at Trinity Wall Street and the Oregon Bach Festival, and performed over 70 of Bach’s cantatas.

Edmund often performs with his wife, mezzo-soprano Sylvia Leith, in their vocal quartet, the Polyphonists. While early music is the foundation of his repertoire, Edmund never eschews an opportunity to broaden his expressive range, and has the rare distinction of having shared the stage with Madonna at the Met Gala, with 50 Cent at Radio City Music Hall, and with Terry Riley at National Sawdust - all in the same season. As an active duty soldier in the U.S. Army Chorus (the vocal wing of “Pershing’s Own”) from 2018 to 2022, Edmund frequently performed for generals, heads of state, and several presidents. He has amassed solo credits on the BBC and CBC, and appears on several GRAMMY-nominated albums.