Marilyn Hill Smith
President of the Cotswold Savoyards
We are very proud to have as President of the the Cotswold Savoyards the world-renowned soprano, Marilyn Hill Smith.
Marilyn spent much of her early career as a principal soprano with English National Opera Company, in roles as diverse as Susanna (Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro) to Woodbird (Wagner’s Ring); Chief of Police (Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre) to Adele (J. Strauss’s Die Fledermaus). She made guest appearances with Royal Opera at Covent Garden, and with Welsh and Scottish National, and with Canadian and Singapore Opera Companies. Her repertoire has also included early French opera in Europe, recitals worldwide and Gilbert and Sullivan with New D’Oyly Carte, G & S For All, New Sadlers Wells, BBC Proms and, most recently, with Much Loved Productions.
Her concerts of Viennese music earned her the accolade “Britain’s Queen of Operetta” and her performances and recordings of the music of Ivor Novello have been equally highly acclaimed.
She made 104 broadcasts as a BBC “Friday Night is Music Night” Star Singer, and has sung frequently on P&O Music at Sea cruises. She has also appeared in Music Hall at Leeds City Varieties, and celebrated Stephen Sondheim’s 75th birthday at London’s Drury Lane, again drawing special critical acclaim.
Marilyn completed a highly successful 18 month tour as Mother Abbess in the Andrew Lloyd Webber/David Ian production of “The Sound of Music” and completed over a 100 performances in “We’ll Meet Again”.