Biography
Robin Hill was born 14 May 1953 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England and educated at Bolton School, Lancashire. He studied at Huddersfield College of Music and later participated in master classes with Venezuelan guitarist, Alirio Diaz.
At Huddersfield Robin met fellow guitarist Peter Wiltschinsky, and together they formed, in 1973, the Hill/Wiltschinsky Guitar Duo, a highly successful partnership with a vast archive of recordings for Teldec/Warner Bros. Classics, Hyperion, ASV, RCA, Erato, Telstar, IMP Classics, Carlton Classics, and many more. The duo have made numerous television and radio broadcasts and toured extensively worldwide.
Hill/Wiltschinsky has collaborated with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the BBC Concert Orchestra (under Barry Wordsworth), the Irish National Symphony Orchestra, the Caracas Symphony Orchestra and many other fine orchestras.
In recent years Robin has made many appearances as a soloist and has begun to develop his compositional activities. In 1997 he gave the premiere of his own, Concerto Primavera with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor, Ian Tracey. He has subsequently composed four further concertos, three for guitar and one for piano. He also gave the UK premiere, in 1981, of Claude Bolling’s ‘Concerto for Classic Guitar & Jazz Piano Trio’, a work he has also recorded with his quartet, Eklectica.
In 1997 Robin performed Joaquín Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Carl Davis.
Robin has collaborated with artists as diverse as the legendary tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, soprano Lesley Garrett, tenor, Russell Watson, soprano Denise Graves at the 2003 Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, and from British rock bands Jethro Tull and Deep Purple, to American jazz/soul singer, Madeline Bell.
Robin has travelled extensively with 6 star Crystal Cruises and Cunard’s RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 and RMS Queen Mary 2, performing highly acclaimed recitals on board, from the Antarctic, South America, Hawaii, Japan, India, Thailand, North America, the Caribbean, and many more countries of the world.
Robin also teaches aspiring guitarists at University of Leeds, and his book, ‘The Guitar Gymnasium’, published by Mel Bay, which is designed to develop a flawless technique and to investigate the psychology of musical performance, is used in conservatories throughout the world.
Robin plays a Miguel Rodriguez guitar.
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