Pille Lill is an Estonian opera singer and an active member of the cultural life, the founder and artistic director of PLMF Music Trust.
Biography
Pille Lill started her journey as a musician with piano studies at Pärnu Children's Music School. She has graduated the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater with two specialties – music pedagogy/choir conducting and opera singing. She continued her studies as an operasinger at Helsinki Sibelius Academy and after that at the post graduate level of the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She defended her master's degree at the Sibelius Academy. During 2004–2011 she furthered her skills at the doctorate level of EAMT, in the context of which she studied at the University of Music Karlsruhe in 2005-2006 in the German lied class. She has taken part of several masterclasses by world-famous distinguished musicians - Elisabeth Söderström, Irwin Gage, Emma Kirkby, Mauriz Sillem, Gerhard Kahry, Eva Märtson-Wilson, Andre Orlowitz, Wilma Vernocchi, Gundula Hinz etc. Pille Lill has been a vocal teacher in the Voice Department of EAMT from 1997 to 2003, instructed master’s level students in German lied class and directed EAMT's opera studio. She has given master classes in many countries and her most outstanding students either have worked or are working at the Estonian National Opera and Latvian National Opera. She has been a part of the jury of the National Vocal Contest and St. Petersburg Chopin and Rachmaninov International Competition for singers and Jerusalem Young Artist Opera Festival Competition. Pille Lill is the founder and artistic director of the PLMF Music Trust from 2003. The goal of the organisation is to support talented musicians by offering further education and performing opportunities on various stages in Estonia and abroad. PLMF is developing diverse cross border cooperation through being a part of International Artist Managers’ Association, European Festivals’ Association and International Society for the Performing Arts. PLMF has created four festivals - Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, Tallinn Winter Festival, Eivere Piano Festival, Väike-Maarja Music Festival. In addition, PLMF is organizing Rapla Church Music Festival from 2010, which is featuring International Rapla Summer Academy. Pille Lill is a board member of the Estonian Chamber of Culture from 2015 and a board member of Finnish-Estonian Culture Fund from 2016. From 2003-2009 she was a board member of the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians. From 2017 Pille Lill is a part of the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union and the spokesperson of their Cultural Policy Council.
Discography
Pille Lill has performed as an opera, oratorio and chamber music singer in numerous countries. She has sang lead roles in nearly 30 operas: *Mozart – Countess "Marriage of Figaro", Donna Anna "Don Giovanni", Pamina "Magic Flute";
Puccini - Mimi "La Bohéme", Cio-cio san "Madama Butterfly", Tosca "Tosca";
Verdi - Elisabeth "Don Carlos", Desdemona "Othello", Violetta "Traviata", Elvira "Ernani", Amelia "Un ballo in Maschera", Lady Macbeth "Macbeth", Aida "Aida";
Weber – Agathe "Der Freischütz";
Wagner - Venus "Tannhäuser";
Tchaikovsky - Liza "The Queen of Spades";
Mascagni - Santuzza "Cavalleria Rusticana";
Strauss - Chrysothemis "Elektra";
Tubin - Barbara "Barbara von Tisenhusen";
Prokofjev - Fata Morgana "The Love for Three Oranges" etc.
Her repertory includes a number of soprano parts from such grand musical pieces:
Mahler - 4. and 8. Symphony;
Mozart, Brahms and Verdi - "Requiem";
Beethoven - "9. Symphony";
Tobias - "Des Jona Sendung";
Shostakovich - "14. Symphony";
Sibelius - "Kullervo" etc).
She has premiered works by many contemporary composers. Pille Lill has cooperated with many distinguished conductors and her voice is captured on numerous recordings for Estonian Public Broadcasting and on many CD-s - R. Tobias “Des Jona Sendung”, M. Sink "Christmas Songs", L. Sumera “To Reach Yesterday”, A. Kapp “Organ and Chamber Music”, J. Torrim “Organ Music”.