James Milligan

James Milligan (5 April 1928 – 28 November 1961, Basel) was a Canadian singer who appeared in concerts and operas from the early 1950s until his death in 1961 at the age of 33. In 1957 he won first prize at the Geneva International Music Competition. dramatic baritone, bass-baritone, and a bass. Standing at nearly 6 foot 6 inches and possessing a trim athletic build, Milligan was visually striking on stage. In his youth he developed a passion for long-distance running; an activity which some later credited for helping develop his unusually good breath control as a singer. and later with Roy Henderson in London. On March 21, 1951, he made his first significant appearance as an oratorio singer as the bass soloist in Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (TMC), tenor William Morton, soprano Lois Marshall, contralto Margaret Stilwell, and harpsichordist Greta Kraus; a performance recorded live for broadcast on CBC Radio. He later recorded the work for a LP record with the same orchestra and choir in 1953, and that same year performed the title role in Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah. In 1954 he appeared at Carnegie Hall as the bass soloist in performances of both the St Matthew Passion and George Frideric Handel's Messiah. By 1954 he had progressed to larger parts with the company; and that year he was heard as Marcello in La bohème, Monterone in Rigoletto, and Cancian in I quatro rusteghi. and William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast

In 1956 Milligan made his European debut at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Arbace in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Idomeneo. which brought him international recognition as a top Wagnerian singer.