Marilyn Hill Smith

Smith was born February 1952 in Surrey. She studied from 1970 to 1974 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Arthur Reckless.Adam N. "Marilyn Hill Smith", Who’s Who in British Opera. Scolar Press, Aldershot, 1993, p. 124. Her graduating performance was praised by one critic: a "quite exceptional Pamina was contributed by Marilyn Hill Smith – the registers of the voice much more firmly knitted together than usual in student sopranos, the expression apt, the diction and movement decisive."Jacobs, Arthur. "Student Performance: The Magic Flute". Guildhall School of Music and Drama, June 5. Opera, August 1974, Vol. 25, No. 8, p. 744. She was selected in 1975 as "an outstanding Young Musician",Artist biography for Hill Smith in programme booklet for The Tales of Hoffmann; English National Opera at the London Coliseum, 1983. and the following year took part in the first performance of the Bicentennial Offenbach pastiche Christopher Columbus,Rosenthal, Harold. "In Concert: Christopher Columbus (Offenbach)". Opera Rara at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, July 6. Opera, October 1976, Vol. 27, No. 10, p. 968. a recording of which was subsequently released.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} Her professional debut was with English National Opera at the London Coliseum as Adele in Die Fledermaus in 1978. She followed this at ENO as the Pot boy, Wonderchild and Student in The Adventures of Mr Brouček, Woglinde and the Woodbird in Das Rheingold ("Marilyn Hill Smith led the trio of Rhinemaidens sweetly and was a completely audible Woodbird"Milnes, Rodney. "British Opera Diary: The Ring of the Nibelung" English National Opera, London Coliseum. Opera, October 1979, Vol. 30, No. 10, p. 1003.), Despina in Così fan tutte, Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Susanna in Le Nozze Di Figaro, Olympia, Stella, and one of the voices in the Barcarolle in The Tales of Hoffmann, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Fiakermilli in Arabella, and in the British premiere of Le Grand Macabre, she sang 1982 Venus and the Chief of the Secret Police.

She appeared with the English Bach Festival in La princesse de Navarre and in April 1976 she sang the title role in Pygmalion by Rameau and one of the lovers in L'Amour flechy par la Constance of 1697 by Delalande in Whitehall Palace.Jacobs, Arthur. "London Opera Diary: Divertissement à Versailles". English Bach Festival at Whitehall Palace. Opera, July 1976, Vol. 27, No. 7, pp. 671–672 She had also sung Aricie in Hippolyte et Aricie, Almirena in Rinaldo, Télaire in Castor et Pollux, and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas for the Festival. Her Covent Garden debut was in Peter Grimes (First niece) in 1981, and later for the English Bach Festival as Calliope in Alceste in 2002.[https://www.rohcollections.org.uk/SearchResults.aspx?person=Marilyn%20Hill%20Smith&searchtype=workprodperf Royal Opera House Performance Database search results for Marilyn Hill Smith], accessed 3 April 2025. In the Handel tercentenary year she appeared as Agilea in Teseo in July 1985 at Covent Garden, and the following month at the Herodes Atticus Theatre in Greece.The Handel Year World-wide – A round-up of the important Handel performances in Europe and America during 1985. Opera, November 1985, Vol. 36, No.11, pp. 1238 & 1252.

At Sadler's Wells Theatre she appeared in 1984 as Lady Harriet in Martha by Flotow, and in 1985 as Sylva in Kálmán's The Gypsy Princess.Osborne, Charles. "The Gypsy Princess. Sadler's Wells Theatre, August 1". Opera, October 1981, pp. 1074–75. In Jonathan Miller’s 1988 production of Candide with Scottish Opera and then at The Old Vic, she took the role of Cunegonde, which was televised from Glasgow. She appeared in 'Glamorous Night' in the 1990 Royal Variety Performance on the occasion of the Queen Mother's 90th birthday at the London Palladium.[https://www.royalvarietycharity.org/royal-variety-performance/archive/detail/1990-london-palladium 1990, "London Palladium"], Royal Variety Charity, accessed 12 April 2025.

She appeared with Welsh National Opera (Musetta and Konstanze), Scottish Opera (Cunegonde) and Singapore Opera. She made many broadcasts as a singer on BBC radio's Friday Night Is Music Night and the operetta and musical comedy programme Top C's and Tiaras on Channel 4 television. At the Proms she appeared as Suzanne in Robinson Crusoé by Offenbach in 1980, as Angelina in Trial by Jury and the title role of Patience, both by Gilbert and Sullivan, in 1988, and Viennese operetta selections in 1989.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/events/performers/d75b1a80-3d1f-4a6a-903a-a8c4627a5028/performances "Marilyn Hill Smith"], BBC Proms database. Accessed 14 March 2025.

Hill Smith toured the United Kingdom in the Andrew Lloyd Webber/David Ian production of The Sound of Music as Mother Abbess, in 2009 to 2010,[https://www.thejc.com/life/theatre/review-the-sound-of-music-st4ipl78 "Review: The Sound of Music"], The Jewish Chronicle, 16 September 2011, accessed 3 April 2025. and completed over a 100 performances in "We’ll Meet Again". In 2013 she played Heidi Schiller in Sondheim's Follies at the Opéra de Toulon.[https://www.musicalavenue.fr/critiques-spectacle-critique-follies-a-lopera-de-toulon "Critique: Follies à l'Opéra de Toulon"], accessed 4 April 2025.

• Cavalli : Ercole amante (Erato, 1979) - Cinthia
• Offenbach (arr) : Christopher Columbus (Opera Rara, 1977) - GretelRosenthal, Harold. LP review of Christopher Columbus, Offenbach. Opera, September 1978, Vol. 27, No. 10, p. 930.
• Rameau - La princesse de Navarre (Erato, 1980) - soprano solos
• Meyerbeer : Dinorah (Opera Rara, 1980) - the goatgirlLoppert, Max. New Records - Dinorah. Opera, September 1980, Vol. 31, No. 9, pp. 911–912.
• Offenbach : Robinson Crusoe (Opera Rara, 1981) - Suzanne
• Brian : The Tigers (Testament, 1983) - Lady 2 and Toy seller
• Kalman : Countess Maritza (Jay, 1983) - Maritza
• Rameau : Pygmalion (Erato, 1984) - La Statue, Céphise
• Lehar : The Count of Luxembourg (TER, 1985) - Angèle
• Lloyd : Iernin (Albany, 1985) - Iernin
• Sullivan : Ruddigore (TER Classics, 1987) - Rose Maybud
• Bernstein : Candide (TER, 1988) - CunegondeThe Classical Catalogue, Master edition 1992 No.2. General Gramophone Publications Ltd, Harrow, 1992, p. 693.
• Vivaldi : Dixit Dominus in D RV594 (CBS, 1990) - soprano soloist
• Sullivan : The Pirates of Penzance (TER, 1990) - Mabel
• Romberg : The Student Prince (Showtime, 1995) - Kathie
• Sullivan : The Rose of Persia (CPO, 2005) - Scent-of-LiliesMilnes, Rodney. Reviews of recordings of works by Sullivan. Opera, December 2005, Vol. 56, No.12, pp.1519–20.

She has also recorded compilation albums of songs from operettas and musicals from the works of .... Treasures of operetta vols. 1 & 2 & 3

Vienna Premiere vols. 1 & 2 MHS sings Kalman and Lehar Moonstruck, and for Opera Rara excerpts from Italian opera 1810-20. On video she appeared as a Niece on a film of Peter Grimes conducted by Colin Davis.

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Category:1952 births

Category:English operatic sopranos

Category:People from Carshalton

Category:Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Category:Musicians from Surrey