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). As a soloist, he has recently performed with the Oregon Bach Festival, the American Classical Orchestra, Washington Bach Consort, Tempesta di Mare, Bach Akademie Charlotte, and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Edmund’s 2023-2024 season includes performances of Bach’s cantatas at Bachfest Leipzig, as well as with Trinity Wall Street, Cantata Collective, Gamut Bach Ensemble, the Oklahoma Bach Choir, and Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity. Other recent solo credits include Carmina Burana with the University of South Carolina Symphony, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with the New Jersey Choral Society, and Brahms’ Requiem with the Thirteen. A consummate ensemble singer, Edmund has also recently sung with Seraphic Fire, Ensemble Altera, and TENET.
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 Mazur, 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. In his Lincoln Center solo debut with Yale Schola Cantorum led by Masaaki Suzuki, Edmund portrayed an "authoritative and confident" Jesus in Bach's St. John Passion (Seen and Heard International). He has since sung the role at Trinity Wall Street and the Oregon Bach Festival, and performed over 90 of Bach’s cantatas.
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 has the good fortune to sing with his wife, mezzo-soprano Sylvia Leith, notably in their work with vocal quartet the Polyphonists.