Marilyn Hill Smith

Marilyn Hill Smith won a Countess of Munster Award to enable her to study at the Guildhall School of Music, where she gained distinction in the final Recital Diploma. Upon leaving college she was selected as one of the outstanding "Young Musicians of 1975" and toured extensively throughout America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, including appearances at the Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl, where she sang with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the spring of 1978 Marilyn Hill Smith made her debut with English National Opera. She joined the company as principal soprano at the beginning of the 1978n9 season and remained with them until the end of the 1983/84 season, singing Adele in Die Fledermaus, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Olympia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Ciboletta in Eine Nacht in Venedig, Gabrielle in La Vie Parisienne, Despina, Zerbinetta, Valencienne, Fiakennilli in Arabella, Therese in Les M amelles de Tiresias, Blonde and Papagena.

In June 1981 Marilyn Hill Smith made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as the First Niece in Peter Grimes. This production was also televised and issued on video cassette and was seen in Los Angeles in July 1984. At Sadler's Wells Theatre she sang the title-role in Die Czardasfurstin and in January 1983 Angele in Der Graf Von Luxembourg and the title-role in Grafin Mariza in the first season of the New Sadler's Wells Opera Company: highlights of both these productions have since been issued on record. She has since returned to sing Lady Harriet in Martha, Gi anetta in The Gondoliers and Rose Maybud in Ruddigore (which is also on record). Other operatic appearances include Clotilde in Pacini's Maria Tudor for Opera Rara at the Camden Festival, Rosmene in lnieneo for Handel Opera, Musetta in La Boheme for Welsh National Opera, Adele in Die Fledermaus for Dublin Grand Opera, Cunegonde in Candide and Yum- Yum in The Mikado for the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, Agilea in Teseo, Eurydice in Orphee et Eurydice and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas for the English Bach Festival, Marzelline in Fidelio at the Belfast Festival and Cunegonde for Scottish Opera. Engagements abroad have also taken her to Hong Kong, Coburg, Versai11es. Luxemburg, Granada, Siena, Cologne and Athens. She is a regular broadcaster on both sound and television and has recorded extensively, mainly for Opera Rara.

Engagements in 1988/89 include further performances as Belinda in Dido and Aeneas and Alceste for the English Bach Festival in Spain, further perfonnances as Cunegonde for Scottish Opera at the Old Vic and Constanze in the new production of Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serait for Welsh National Opera.

Keith Swallow

We were especially pleased to learn that Marilyn Hill Smith was to be accompanied this evening by Keith Swallow.
Though the Huddersfield-based pianist is in demand world-wide as an accompanist, he is always particularly welcome in his home town. He returns to perform with the Youth Choir again in May - this time in his own right as a soloist.