Bass-Baritone Edmund Milly is sought after for his “annunciatory power” (New York Times), “perfect diction” (Los Angeles Times), and distinctive “delicacy and personal warmth” (Boston Classical Review). This season saw his solo debuts with the Baltimore Symphony (in Stravinsky’s Renard) and the Lancaster Symphony (in Handel’s Messiah). Other recent solo engagements include Britten’s War Requiem with the Yale Symphony, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Washington Bach Consort, Haydn’s Creation with Princeton Pro Musica, and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society. In 2024 he was nominated for a GRAMMY award as a soloist on Benedict Sheehan’s Akathist.
Edmund’s education began with cello lessons at age 3 and continued at the American Boychoir School, where he became steeped in the concert repertoire while singing under conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and André Previn. Edmund holds degrees from McGill University and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where he studied with James Taylor.
Since his Lincoln Center debut as Jesus in Bach’s St. John Passion with Yale Schola Cantorum led by Masaaki Suzuki, Edmund has been frequently engaged as a soloist in Bach’s Passion settings, with performances at the Oregon Bach Festival, Bach Akademie Charlotte, Trinity Wall Street, and the Staunton Music Festival. He has also performed over 100 of Bach’s cantatas. Edmund “stole the show” (Seen and Heard International) in his Bachfest Leipzig debut in 2024, and cherishes his work with many of the organizations around the country committed to bringing Bach’s music to life, including the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Gamut Bach Ensemble, and Cantata Collective.
A veteran of the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Edmund has been a soloist at the White House, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Supreme Court. His recorded work includes solo credits on the BBC and CBC, and appearances on several GRAMMY-nominated albums. Edmund often performs alongside his wife, mezzo-soprano Sylvia Leith, including in their work with the Polyphonists, a vocal quartet they co-founded which recently made its Lincoln Center debut in Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light.