Salli Terri
Encyclopedia
Salli C. Terri was a singer, arranger, recording artist, and songwriter.
in Detroit, Michigan
where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in music and then went on to earn a Master's degree in music from the University of Southern California
. At the beginning of the 1950’s, she taught music and drama at the American School in Japan
(Chōfu, Tokyo), then returned to America, where she ultimately taught music theory at Fullerton College
(Fullerton, California) and directed a women's choir at University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA).
A mezzo-soprano
, gifted with a haunting voice filled with feeling and conviction, Terri became one of North America's finest singers. Her professional career began with appearances as a solo artist and arranger with the Roger Wagner Chorale on many recordings. In 1953, she performed with the group at the coronation
celebration for Queen Elizabeth II
in London
. Her eclectic repertoire included religious music, love songs, folk tunes and ballads. In addition to her many LP’s with the Roger Wagner Chorale, she made several solo albums, staged a one-woman show, and sang in both film and television roles as well as doing the voice-over for the cow in the 1964 motion picture Mary Poppins
.
At the first Grammy Awards of 1959
, Terri was nominated for Best Classical Vocal Performance. The album Duets with Spanish Guitar
, also featuring guitarist Laurindo Almeida
and flutist Martin Ruderman, won the Grammy for Best Classical Engineered Recording. On this 1958 Capitol Records release, produced by Robert E Myers
, referred to by many as a masterpiece, Terri sang the aria from Heitor Villa-Lobos
composition, "
Bachianas Brasileiras No.5" that the composer declared as the best recorded version of his work. The album, with additions from later recordings and re-named Duets with Spanish Guitar, was re-released in 1990 on a CD in the United States
(USA), Canada
, the United Kingdom
(UK), Germany
, and France
, is still available at some Internet music sites, and still continues to sell well. A UK-based fan created a tribute site, www.salliterri.org, which has a complete discography, photos, and notes from fans as well as former friends and students.
Terri was married to composer John Biggs (b.1932), with whom she had two daughters, Jennifer Walton and Adrienne Biggs, both violinists. In her later years, she suffered several strokes that left her partially incapacitated until her passing at a convalescent home in Long Beach, California
.
Books and scores by Salli Terri :
Biography
Terri studied at Wayne State UniversityWayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in music and then went on to earn a Master's degree in music from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. At the beginning of the 1950’s, she taught music and drama at the American School in Japan
American School in Japan
The American School in Japan was founded in 1902 and is an international private day school located in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The school consists of an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all located on the Chōfu campus...
(Chōfu, Tokyo), then returned to America, where she ultimately taught music theory at Fullerton College
Fullerton College
Fullerton College is the oldest community college in continuous operation in California, having been established in 1913. Current enrollment is 22,014.- History 1913 to 1972 :...
(Fullerton, California) and directed a women's choir at University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(UCLA).
A mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
, gifted with a haunting voice filled with feeling and conviction, Terri became one of North America's finest singers. Her professional career began with appearances as a solo artist and arranger with the Roger Wagner Chorale on many recordings. In 1953, she performed with the group at the coronation
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
celebration for Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Her eclectic repertoire included religious music, love songs, folk tunes and ballads. In addition to her many LP’s with the Roger Wagner Chorale, she made several solo albums, staged a one-woman show, and sang in both film and television roles as well as doing the voice-over for the cow in the 1964 motion picture Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
.
At the first Grammy Awards of 1959
Grammy Awards of 1959
The inaugural Grammy Awards were held on May 4, 1959. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Domenico Modugno, Henry Mancini, Ella Fitzgerald and Ross Bagdasarian, Sr...
, Terri was nominated for Best Classical Vocal Performance. The album Duets with Spanish Guitar
Duets with Spanish Guitar
Duets with Spanish Guitar is an album by the Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida, with the singer Salli Terri and the flautist Martin Ruderman. It was originally released by Capitol Records in 1958....
, also featuring guitarist Laurindo Almeida
Laurindo Almeida
Laurindo Almeida was a Brazilian virtuoso guitaristand composer who made many recordings of enduring impact in classical, jazz and Latin genres...
and flutist Martin Ruderman, won the Grammy for Best Classical Engineered Recording. On this 1958 Capitol Records release, produced by Robert E Myers
Robert E. Myers (record producer)
Robert E Myers aka Bob Myers was an American classical music record producer and artists & repertoire specialist. Myers spent most of his career at Capitol Records and the classical music division of its EMI parent company, Angel Records. During his early years with Capitol Records, Myers...
, referred to by many as a masterpiece, Terri sang the aria from Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
composition, "
Bachianas Brasileiras No.5" that the composer declared as the best recorded version of his work. The album, with additions from later recordings and re-named Duets with Spanish Guitar, was re-released in 1990 on a CD in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(USA), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(UK), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, is still available at some Internet music sites, and still continues to sell well. A UK-based fan created a tribute site, www.salliterri.org, which has a complete discography, photos, and notes from fans as well as former friends and students.
Terri was married to composer John Biggs (b.1932), with whom she had two daughters, Jennifer Walton and Adrienne Biggs, both violinists. In her later years, she suffered several strokes that left her partially incapacitated until her passing at a convalescent home in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
Discography
Solo Discography (LP) :- I Know My Love (1961)
- Songs of the American Land (1960)
- At the Gate of Heaven (1960)
- Conversations with the Guitar (1960)
- Songs of Enchantment (1959)
- For My True Love (1959)
- Duets with Spanish GuitarDuets with Spanish GuitarDuets with Spanish Guitar is an album by the Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida, with the singer Salli Terri and the flautist Martin Ruderman. It was originally released by Capitol Records in 1958....
(1958)
Books and scores by Salli Terri :
- Rounds For Everyone From Everywhere (1961)
- Shaker Worship Service (1971)
- Around The Year In Rounds (1974)
- A Moravian Lovefeast (1978)