Today is Aprile Millo's 49th birthday. Tonight, she sings her only Maddalena (Andrea Chenier) at the Met this season, capping an active year that also included two Toscas and one Gioconda. Next season, nada. Among the operas scheduled to be performed in 2007-08, only Amelia (Ballo in Maschera) could be conceivable for her to sing, but alas, Michele Crider (returning after a few years of absence) and Angela Brown (who had a much talked about debut at the Met in 2004, remember?) have been engaged instead. On a good night, she could outsing them both. Millo owns, owns "Morro, ma prima in grazia".

I hate to put it out there, but will tonight be it for her career at the Met? Let's hope not. Sure, she likes to stand-and-deliver, but she stands magnificently, like divas of yore, and she delivers the most authentic kind of Italian operatic pathos you could have today.

Meanwhile, a check on Millo's wiki entry finds just one sentence, while even Crider's has a couple of paragraphs. Calling all literate Millo fans ... and perhaps this is a good opportunity to verify birthyears and such.