BILL NEILL

Bill Neill has had a remarkable and illustrious career as an international performing artist and respected vocal pedagogue.

A native of Texas, he made his professional operatic debut in Germany in 1968, and has sung with some of the most prestigious opera companies and symphony orchestras worldwide.

Best known as a Jugendlich Heldentenor or Dramatico Spinto Tenor, he has sung at many great houses including the San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Opera Company of Greater Miami, Opera Company of Boston, Opera Society of Washington DC, Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), San Diego Opera, Scottish National Opera, Dublin Grand Opera, De Nederlandse Operastichting, L'Opéra National de Paris Palais Garnier, L'Opéra Bastille, Théatre Royal de la Monnaie Brussels, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bühnen der Stadt Essen, Oper der Stadt Bonn, L’Orchestre National de France (Paris), Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cleveland Symphony, as well as in Siena, Barcelona, Madrid, Mexico City, Caracas and Montevideo.

Mr. Neill enjoys a very fine reputation as a prominent and enormously well respected pedagogue throughout North America. His relaxed, yet confident teaching style has produced extraordinarily successful singers from all voice types including soprano, mezzo, counter-tenor, tenor, baritone and bass. Many of his students currently enjoy very active careers with some of the most highly respected Opera Companies and Symphony Orchestras worldwide.

He held the position as professor of voice at McGill University, heading the department for over 15 years, and prior to that, held the position at the University of Toronto as well, having taught, coached and guided the careers of many well-known singers.

Students of note include Dan Taylor, Josh Hopkins, Julie Nesrallah, Joseph Kaiser, the American dramatic tenor Clifton Forbis and Canadian tenor Ben Heppner, who, after receiving the first Birgit Nilsson Award in the 1988 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, has become one of the world’s foremost performing artists.

Bill and his late wife Dixie Ross Neill were a force of nature. Their reputation of teacher and coach earned the credit they were given. Their collaborations were awesome to behold, and they were deservedly chosen as recipients of Opera Canada’s 2003 Opera Educator Award. The “Ruby” Award recognized them for professional excellence and outstanding lifetime achievement in the field of Opera, Vocal Training and Education.

The Neills returned to New York in 2005 to focus their formidable energies and talents on the well-established artists and the aspiring young professional students they were committed to.

Bill Neill continues to garner awards for his outstanding achievements. Named "2008 Teacher of the Year" by Classical Singer magazine, Mr. Neill maintains a voice studio in New York City and is currently also the Vocal Area Chair at the University of Oklahoma.

It is a great honour to have him join our Faculty!