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Erie Mills, longtime artistic director of Livermore Valley Opera, died this week after a short illness. She was 73.
Known as a company visionary, the coloratura soprano also received international acclaim with a vocal career spanning over 25 years.
“This is an unfathomable loss for the world of music, Livermore Valley Opera, where she has been our Artistic Director and guiding light for years and for all those who love and cherish her. She was absolutely extraordinary,” LVO Board President Jonathan Kleid said in a statement Thursday.
Prior to her death June 23, Mills planned and artistically prepared LVO for its 35th season.
“In honor of her dedication and her belief in this company, LVO will move forward with the season exactly as she intended,” the board said. “Her artistic vision, casting, and production plans remain in place, and the Board and artistic team are united in carrying out her legacy.”
The upcoming LVO series, Opera in the Vineyard, will continue as scheduled with the first date set for June 28 at Garré Vineyard & Winery in Livermore.
“Erie cared deeply about this event and its role in bringing our community together, and we are committed to presenting it in her honor, after a moment of silence,” the board said.
Mills was born in Granite City, Illinois and graduated from The College of Wooster, the University of Illinois and Houston Opera Studio, LVO officials said.
During her career, Mills could be heard at the world’s top opera houses such as Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Vienna Staatsoper, English National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera and New York City Opera — a site where she was featured on PBS’s nationally broadcast “Live from Lincoln Center,” company officials said.
She was known for portraying signature roles including Zerbinetta in “Ariadne auf Naxos,” Rosina in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” Cunegonde in “Candide,” the title role in “Lucia di Lammermoor” and Giunia in “Lucio Silla” at La Scala, according to LVO officials.
Mills’ work was also captured in recording such as RCA’s “Follies,” the Grammy award-winning “Candide” on New World Records and her solo album “always it’s Spring.”
In addition to her work on stage, Mills served as a member of the voice faculty at San José State University, beginning in 1998. By the time of her retirement two decades later, she was a full professor of music.
Mills also worked as principal English diction coach for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for multiple years as well as the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera.
During 2009, Mills began championing LVO, the presenter of bi-annual operas at the Livermore Valley Arts’ Bankhead Theater in Livermore.
By 2016, Mills rose to serve as the company’s artistic director.
“Erie was an extraordinary artist, mentor, and leader whose vision shaped Livermore Valley Opera for more than a decade. Her loss is felt profoundly throughout our organization and the wider opera community,” the board said in an email interview with Livermore Vine.
“Her warmth, artistry, and belief in the power of live opera shaped the company and touched everyone who worked alongside her,” LVO officials said in a statement.
She was recognized many times over with a 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Opera Association, a 2022 Distinguished Artist of The American Prize as well as a recipient of an honorary Doctorate in Music from The College of Wooster and a Richard Tucker Music Foundation grant. Mills also was the first singer to join the OPERA America Board of Directors, a role she assumed in 2004.
LVO is currently planning ways to celebrate Mills’ legacy with details to be announced.
For her contributions to the company, its board granted Mills the honorary title of artistic director laureate in perpetuity. The company is also honoring Mills with the newly established Erie Mills Legacy Fund to continue the work she cherished.
“What we will remember most is how she carried that artistry with warmth and generosity,” Livermore Valley Arts officials wrote on social media Thursday. “She shaped our productions with care, championed young singers, and welcomed first-time audiences as though each one were an old friend.”
