Opera Singer. A tenor of wide repertoire, he performed more than fifty roles ranging from the light lyric such as the title leads of Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette" and Jules Massenet's "Werther" (his signature piece) and Alfredo from Verdi's "La Traviata" to the heavy dramatic including Canio in Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci", Rhadames from Verdi's "Aida", and Samson of Camille Saint-Saens' "Samson et Dalila". Originally a stock broker, Thill often entertained his co-workers by singing opera arias he had learned from records; following his combat service with the French Army in World War I he entered the Paris Conservatoire but soon left to study voice with tenor Fernando De Lucia in Naples, Italy. His Paris Opera bow came in 1924 as Nicias in Massenet's "Thais"; 1928 saw Thill make three major debuts: at the Opera-Comique as Don Jose of Georges Bizet's "Carmen", at London's Covent Garden as Samson, and at the Arena di Verona as Calaf in Puccini's "Turandot". Thill only sang at the New York Metropolitan Opera for two seasons, 1931 and 1932, where he gave 14 performances in seven different operas, mostly in French. Over the course of his career he sang at all the major opera houses of Europe and South America; his final performance was as Canio at the Paris Opera in 1953 though he continued to give recitals until retiring in 1956. Thill left a large recorded legacy of songs, arias, and complete operas (including "Werther") and appeared in four movies. His recording of "La reve passe" served as a battle cry for the Free French in World War II while his preservation in the original French of Adolphe Adam's "O Holy Night" is a Christmas classic.
Opera Singer. A tenor of wide repertoire, he performed more than fifty roles ranging from the light lyric such as the title leads of Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette" and Jules Massenet's "Werther" (his signature piece) and Alfredo from Verdi's "La Traviata" to the heavy dramatic including Canio in Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci", Rhadames from Verdi's "Aida", and Samson of Camille Saint-Saens' "Samson et Dalila". Originally a stock broker, Thill often entertained his co-workers by singing opera arias he had learned from records; following his combat service with the French Army in World War I he entered the Paris Conservatoire but soon left to study voice with tenor Fernando De Lucia in Naples, Italy. His Paris Opera bow came in 1924 as Nicias in Massenet's "Thais"; 1928 saw Thill make three major debuts: at the Opera-Comique as Don Jose of Georges Bizet's "Carmen", at London's Covent Garden as Samson, and at the Arena di Verona as Calaf in Puccini's "Turandot". Thill only sang at the New York Metropolitan Opera for two seasons, 1931 and 1932, where he gave 14 performances in seven different operas, mostly in French. Over the course of his career he sang at all the major opera houses of Europe and South America; his final performance was as Canio at the Paris Opera in 1953 though he continued to give recitals until retiring in 1956. Thill left a large recorded legacy of songs, arias, and complete operas (including "Werther") and appeared in four movies. His recording of "La reve passe" served as a battle cry for the Free French in World War II while his preservation in the original French of Adolphe Adam's "O Holy Night" is a Christmas classic.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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Hommage à la plus merveilleuse incomparable et inoubliable voix de ce siècle
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