Student Stories
Christin-Marie Hill
Kansas City, Mo.
Doctoral student in vocal performance
“I was delighted to receive my scholarships. I think they reflect KU’s commitment to and understanding of the value of the arts.”
Ten years ago, Christin-Marie Hill went to Paris to work toward a doctoral degree in French literature. But her rich singing voice redefined her life.
“I started hanging out in jazz clubs every night after class,” Hill said. “I would get up and sing a couple of numbers with whatever band was playing.”
In the middle of her second semester, Hill quit her degree program to join a jazz band. But about a year later, her voice changed. Worried her singing career was over, she went home to Evanston, Ill., believing she needed voice lessons.
But nothing was wrong: Hill’s voice had matured into a dramatic mezzo-soprano, a special form of mezzo-soprano ideal for opera because it can be heard over an orchestra.
Hill earned a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Illinois. Her operatic career has included two seasons at Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in Lenox, Mass.
During a two-year apprenticeship with the Lyric Opera in Kansas City, Mo., she worked with accompanist Mark Ferrell, who heads KU’s voice and opera program. When she learned that Joyce Castle, an internationally known mezzo-soprano, taught at KU, Hill decided to pursue a doctorate here in vocal performance.
Hill has received assistance from several KU Endowment scholarships, including the Post-baccalaureate Scholarship and the First-year Graduate Scholarship, both supported through the Greater KU Fund.