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Originally from Cincinnati, OH, soprano Annie Gill has been performing professionally since the age of 13. Ms. Gill began her performance career in musicals and theater, but when she heard the “La Divina” recording of Maria Callas at age 16, she became inspired to pursue opera. Equally at home in operetta, musical theater, and grand opera, Ms. Gill has been praised for "A glorious voice - opulent from top to bottom,” (C. Andrews – 2007 Maryland NATS Competition), and the extensive variety of vocal colors present in her warm and expressive full-lyric soprano.
Most recently, Ms. Gill won Honorable Mention (2nd Place) in the 2010 Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist Competition (Professional Vocal Division). Ms. Gill received commendation from the judges for “an exceptional instrument, a great range of colors and shades, a spectacular voice, beautiful acting, and a totally moving performance.” Upcoming on the competition circuit, Ms. Gill will sing as a Semi-Finalist in the 2010 Orpheus Vocal Competition.
With over twenty roles from opera, operetta, and musical theater in her repertoire, Ms. Gill continues to garner acclaim for her commanding stage presence and detailed characterizations. Past roles include the title role in Massenet’s Manon, Lady Billows (Albert Herring), Mimì and Musetta (La Bohème), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Micaëla (Carmen), Noémie (Cendrillon), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Amy March (Little Women), Diana (Orpheus in the Underworld), First Lady (The Magic Flute), Phyllis (Iolanthe), Edith (The Pirates of Penzance), Pitti-Sing (The Mikado), Rapunzel (Into the Woods), and The Sandman (Hansel and Gretel). Partial roles include Rose (Street Scene), Magda (La Rondine), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Wanda (Sophie’s Choice), Lysia (Lysistrata), Agathe (Der Freischütz), Blanche (Louise), Blanche (A Streetcar Named Desire), Desdemona (Otello), Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Della (The Gift of the Magi). Ms. Gill has sung with several Young Artist Programs and professional companies, including Opera in the Ozarks, Emerald City Opera Artist Institute, Intermezzo Young Artist Program, Operafestival di Roma, the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute (BASOTI), the Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Summer Music Festival, Center Stage Opera, Opera AACC, and the Washington Savoyards.
In addition to her performances on stage, Ms. Gill has received numerous awards for her singing. Ms. Gill was awarded the National Vocal Scholarship from the National Federation of Music Clubs for her studies at Opera in the Ozarks in 2009. At the close of the season, Ms. Gill was awarded “Best Overall Performer (Male or Female)”, as well as an “Outstanding Colleague” award. Ms. Gill has been awarded two Peabody Career Development Grants (2007 and 2009), the Women’s Opportunity Grant from the Kenwood Women’s Club, and the William P. Kincaid Scholarship from the Indian Hill High School Alumni Association for her studies. In 2009, Ms. Gill was a Semi-Finalist in the Orpheus Vocal Competition. She was awarded first place at the Maryland District NATS competition in the Advanced Graduate Women category in 2007, and was a finalist in the 2008 competition. Ms. Gill received the award of "Best Performance by a Female in a Leading Role" for her portrayal of Mimì in La Bohème with Opera in the Ozarks in 2008.
In 2008, Ms. Gill received a Performance Diploma from The Peabody Conservatory. Ms. Gill also received a BM in Vocal Performance from Indiana University and an MM in Vocal Performance from Boston University. Ms. Gill currently studies with Professor Steven Rainbolt, and coaches with renowned conductor Roger Cantrell.
While at the Peabody Conservatory, Ms. Gill covered the role of Antonia in Peabody Opera Theater’s production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and sang the role of Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) in Peabody’s Opera Gala. Ms. Gill created the role of the 3rd Woman in the Peabody Chamber Opera’s production of The Artist, a world premiere of an opera by H.L. Mencken and Louis Cheslock. In Peabody Opera Theater’s production of The Turn of the Screw, Ms. Gill sang the role of Mrs. Grose. Ms. Gill was also chosen to sing P.D.Q. Bach’s “Liebeslieder Polkas” for The Peabody Conservatory’s 150th Year Gala in April, 2008.
Ms. Gill has also appeared in numerous art song recitals, most notably with pianist Brian Zeger and composer Larry Alan Smith. In April 2006, Ms. Gill performed as the soprano soloist in the Mozart Requiem with the Neponset Choral Society in Boston, Massachusetts. A teacher of voice and beginning piano, Ms. Gill maintains studios in Baltimore, and Crofton, Maryland. In June 2010, Ms. Gill will sing the soprano solos in Bruckner’s Te Deum and Michael Haydn’s St. Francis Mass with the Friday Morning Music Club Chorale in Washington, D.C.
Other upcoming engagements include Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles with Center Stage Opera and Marcellina in the Mosaic Concert Series production of Le Nozze di Figaro. Please see her website, www.AnnieGill.com, for more information about all upcoming performances.
While Ms. Gill intends to continue her pursuit of a career in opera, she also maintains an interest in such varied performance opportunities as musical theater, television commercials, and operetta. With a voice that excels in music from Puccini to Previn, Ms. Gill hopes to use her comedic and dramatic abilities to create her own unique career path in the world of entertainment.