Pille Lill

b. April, 20, 1962 Pärnu
Member of the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians

Soprano Pille Lill has achieved recognition above all as an opera singer whose wide repertoire includes the most leading roles of the well-known opera literature. She is also valued chamber singer and performer of the vocal-symphonic music. Besides she works as a pedagogue and is active figure in Estonian musical life.

Lill graduated from Tallinn State Conservatoire as a music teacher in 1985 and as an opera singer with Rostislav Gurjev and Linda Saul in 1991. From 1990 to 1992, she improved her skills with Mirja Klem in the Sibelius Academy in Finland. She continued her studies at the postgraduate level at the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Johanna Peters in 1992–1994 and obtained a Master’s degree at the Sibelius Academy. In 1997–2000, she took lessons from Liisa Linkko-Malmio, in 1998 she received a stipendium of the Estonian Richard Wagner Society. Since 2004, Lill has been completing her doctorate studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with Professor Jaakko Ryhänen, taking also lessons from Professors Mitsuko Shirai and Hartmut Höll at the University of Music Karlsruhe. She has attended master classes of Elisabeth Söderstöm, Irwin Gage and others.

Lill has been soloist in pop music ensemble Laine in 1980–1981. She has participated in the opera productions in the Estonian National Opera since 1989 and Theatre Vanemuine since 1997. She works as a vocal pedagogue and lecturer in Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre since 1997 (docent since 2005), among her pupils there are Helen Lokuta and Oliver Kuusik. On her initiative Pille Lill Music Fund was established in 2003 to train talented young professional musicians in Estonia and develop their skills. She is also founder of Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, being its artistic director since its beginning from 2006. She is the member of the board of the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians.

Lill is also active as an interpret – performing as an opera and chamber singer and performer of the vocal-symphonic music. Her repertoire consists of nearly 40 leading opera roles, including Countess (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro) Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Mimi (Giacomo Puccini La Boheme), Cio-cio-san (Madama Butterfly), Tosca (Tosca), Elisabeth (Giuseppe Verdi Don Carlos), Desdemona (Othello), Violetta (La Traviata), Elvira (Ernani), Amelia (Un Ballo in Mascera), Lady Macbeth (Macbeth), Aida (Aida), Venus (Richard Wagner Tannhäuser), Lisa (Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Queen of Spades), Santuzza (Pietro Mascagni Cavalieria Rustica), Barbara (Eduard Tubin Barbara von Tisenhusen). She has sung soprano parts in vocal-symphonic works such as Mozart’s Mass C-minor, Gustav Mahler’s 4th and 8th Symphonys, Antonín Dvo?ák’s, Mozart’s and Verdi’s Requiems, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Christmas Oratorio, Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Rudolf Tobias’s Des Jona Sendung etc and has performed contemporay music by Alo Põldmäe, Lepo Sumera, Mart Siimer, Aaro Pertmann, Tõnis Kaumann and Jaanus Torrim.

As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras such as Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, The Israel Sinfonietta and collaborated with such conductors as Neeme Järvi, Eri Klas, Arvo Volmer, Lauri Sirp, Andres Mustonen, Jüri Alperten, Vello Pähn, Nikolai Alexeev, Johannes Somary, Carlo Felice Cillario, John Storgård and others. As a chamber singer, Lill has appeared together with pianists Marje Lohuaru, Piia Paemurru, Ivari Ilja, Lembit Orgse, Elena Vashkevich, organist Tiia Tenno, clarinetist Vahur Vurm, cellist Henry-David Varema and various ensembles, such as Tallinn Saxophone Quartet, Tallinn Piano Duo and others. She has participated in many Estonian festivals (Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, Tallinn Winter Festival, festival NYYD, Kuressaare Opera Days, Rapla Church Music Festival, festival Glasperlenspiel).

Pille Lill has been awarded the Suur Vanker Prize as the best singer in 1996. She has received the Georg Ots Prize (2002) and the Bishop Platon's III degree Distinguished Service Order(2005). Lill has recorded music for Estonian Radio and sings in several compilation CDs, e.g. „Christmas Carols / Marje Sink” (T. Kelam 2006), „To Reach Yesterday” (Megadisc 2003), „Organ and Chamber Music / Artur Kapp” (Eres 2000), „Orgelwerke / Jaanus Torrim” (Antes 1997), „Des Jona Sendung” (Grammofon AB BIS 1995).

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The main role [Tosca] was played by the attractive ladylike Primadonna Pille Lill, who managed her radiantly strong soprano economically, giving an influential performance. Her acting as Tosca portrayed a woman who is dramatic on the one hand and a warm loving one on the other.
Ingeborg Kalkus. - Orpheus, September-October, 2008

Home page: www.pillelill.pri.ee; www.plmf.ee

© EMIC 2008

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