Connell was born on October 25, 1942, in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up in
Westport, Connecticut. He was a singer, pianist and violist in high school, and was inspired by a class trip to the Met's
La Bohème to enter the opera industry. He served in the military during the
Vietnam War, flying Navy transport planes. He later did graduate work in music at
University of Hawaiʻi. Connell staged managed operas in graduate school and worked for a few regional opera companies before joining the Met as stage manager in 1977. From 1981 until his death, he was the company's chief stage manager, also known as the production stage manager. Connell died on April 18, 2010, at his home in
Manhattan. ==Personal life==