Hila Plitmann (born August 9, 1973) is an Israeli-American two-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

-winning

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

tic soprano, songwriter, and actress specializing in the performance of new works.

Career

Education

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

of Music: Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees with high honors

Performances

In 1998, one year after graduating from the Juilliard School, Plitmann premiered Pulitzer Prize winner

David Del Tredici David Walter Del Tredici (born March 16, 1937) is an American composer. He has won a Pulitzer Prize for Music and is a former Guggenheim and Woodrow Wilson fellow. Del Tredici is considered a pioneer of the Neo-Romantic movement. He has also be ...

's ''The Spider and the Fly'' on only two weeks notice with The

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

under the baton of

Kurt Masur Kurt Masur (18 July 1927 – 19 December 2015) was a German conductor. Called "one of the last old-style maestros", he directed many of the principal orchestras of his era. He had a long career as the Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus O ...

. Her theatrical acting debut was in the role of Sharon in the Fountain Theater's production of ''

Master Class A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed. "Masterclass" is als ...

'' by

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," ...

. Other notable performances include the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Del Tredici's ''Paul Revere's Ride'' with the Atlanta Symphony under

Robert Spano Robert Spano ( ; born 7 May 1961, Conneaut, Ohio) is an American conductorDavidson, Justin. "CLASSICAL MUSIC: Looking for Magic: Mixing visuals and language into a performance is just part of conductor Robert Spano's pursuit of orchestral risk" ...

; and the world premiere of

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

's ''Wing on Wing'' with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney Hall; the premiere of

Eric Whitacre Eric Edward Whitacre (born January2, 1970) is an American composer, conductor, and speaker best known for his choral music. In March2016, he was appointed as Los Angeles Master Chorale's first artist-in-residence at the Walt Disney Concert Hall ...

and

David Norona David Noroña, usually simplified as David Norona, (born December 14, 1972) is a Cuban American actor and director who has appeared in films including ''Though None Go with Me'', TV series including ''The Mentalist'' and '' Jack Ryan'', and various ...

's groundbreaking '' Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings'' in Los Angeles; John Corigliano's ''Mr. Tambourine Man'' with the

Brooklyn Philharmonic There have been several organisations referred to as the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The most recent one was the now-defunct Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, an American orchestra based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in existence fr ...

; the world premiere of Andrea Clearfield's ''The Long Bright'' with

Orchestra 2001 Currently entering its fourth decade, Orchestra 2001 was founded at Swarthmore College, where it was Ensemble-in-Residence for over twenty-five years. In addition to concerts in the Philadelphia area, the ensemble has brought new American music to c ...

; the premiere of a new song cycle written for her by composer

Aaron Jay Kernis Aaron Jay Kernis (born January 15, 1960) is a Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning American composer serving as a member of the Yale School of Music faculty. Kernis spent 15 years as the music advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra and as Dir ...

; the Naxos world premiere recording of John Corigliano's ''Mr. Tambourine Man'' with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta, conductor; and David Del Tredici's ''Final Alice'' with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of

Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...

.Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music article
In 2009, Plitmann created the role of Mrs Clayton in the Opera Santa Barbara production of Stephen Schwartz's opera '' Séance on a Wet Afternoon'', and in 2015 she created the role of Yan in

Mark Adamo Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

's '' Becoming Santa Claus''.

Awards

In 1996, Plitmann won the Sony ES Prize for outstanding contribution to the vocal arts. In 2007, for her role of Exstasis in

’s electro-musical ''Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings'' at the Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena, Plitmann was nominated for “Best Lead Actress in a Musical” at the Los Angeles Ovation Awards and the L.A. Ticketholder Awards. In February 2009, Plitmann was awarded the

for Best Classical Vocal Performance for her 2009 performance of ''Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan''. Plitmann won her second

for Best Classical Vocal Performance in 2022 for ''

Mythologies Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrati ...

'', an album inspired by Ancient Greece with original compositions by Danaë Xanthe Vlasse, recorded with Vlasse and soprano Sangeeta Kaur.

Acting and Film Music

Plitmann can be heard as a featured vocal soloist on many film scores and soundtracks. *

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Lang ...

* Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End * Hail Caesar! * Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice *

Ghostbusters (2016) ''Ghostbusters: Answer the Call'', marketed simply as ''Ghostbusters'', is a 2016 American supernatural comedy film directed by Paul Feig and written by Feig and Katie Dippold. Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jon ...

Argentina, 1985 ''Argentina, 1985'' is a 2022 Argentine historical legal drama film produced and directed by Santiago Mitre. Written by Mitre and Mariano Llinás, it stars Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner and Norman Briski. The film follows ...

New York, I Love You ''New York, I Love You'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama anthology film consisting of eleven short films, each by a different director. The shorts all relate in some way to the subject of love, and are set among the five boroughs of New ...

Plitmann has appeared in acting/singing roles both live on stage and filmed, including

Hershey Felder Hershey Felder (born July 9, 1968) is a pianist, actor, and playwright known for his portrayals of classical and American composers on the theatrical stage. Early life Felder was born in Montreal, Quebec, to Jacob Felder (born 1929 in Ustrzyk ...

's musical films ''Dante and Beatrice'' and ''Mozart and Figaro in Vienna'', and in

’s electro-musical ''Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings''.

Recordings

*''Ms. Inez Sez'', song cycle by

, CRI label *''Lament for the Death of a Bullfighter'', song cycle by

(featuring the composer at the piano) Music & Arts label *''Paul Revere's Ride'' by

with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Spano conducting, Telarc label *''Emily Dickinson Songs'' by

Robert Beaser Robert Beaser (born May 29, 1954, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American composer. Biography Beaser was brought up in a non-musical family. His father was a physician and mother was a chemist. He grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, where he dist ...

with the American Academy, Rome label *

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...

's soundtrack to the Hollywood film, ''

'' Decca label *''Vintage Alice/Dracula'' by

with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, INNOVA label (2008) * John Corigliano: ''Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan'' – Hila Plitmann (JoAnn Falletta; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) *''The Palm Trees Are Restless: Five Poems of Kate Gale,'' song cycle by

Mark Abel Mark Abel (born April 28, 1948) is an American composer of classical music. Background After a brief stay at Stanford University in the late 1960s, Abel was active on the New York rock scene during the 1970s and early 1980s, leading his own gro ...

, Delos label *

Richard Danielpour Richard Danielpour (born January 28, 1956) is an American composer. Early life Danielpour was born in New York City of Persian Jewish descent and grew up in New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida. He studied at Oberlin College and the New E ...

: ''The Passion of Yeshua'' (UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta), Naxos label * John Corigliano: ''Conjurer/Vocalise'' (Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller), Naxos label *''The Ancient Question … a voyage through Jewish songs'', Signum Classics label * George Benjamin: ''Into the Little Hill'' (London Sinfonietta), Nimbus Records label *

: ''Toward a Season of Peace'' (Pacific Symphony and Chorale, Carl St. Clair, John Alexander), Naxos label * Frank Zappa: ''200 Motels'', The Suites (Los Angeles Philharmonic & Master Chorale, Esa-Pekka Salonen), Zappa Records label *

Andrea Clearfield Andrea Clearfield (born 1960) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. Regularly commissioned and performed by ensembles in the United States and abroad, her works include music for orchestra, chorus, soloists, chamber ensembles ...

: ''Women of Valor'' (Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Noreen Green), Albany Records label *

: ''Time and Distance'', Delos label *

: ''The Cave of Wondrous Voice'', Delos label *

Paola Prestini Paola Prestini (born ) is a composer of classical music. The ''New York Times'' referred to Prestini as "the enterprising composer and impresario" and a "human resources alchemist". In 2011, she was named one of the Top 100 Composers in the World ...

: ''Oceanic Verses'' (Decoda Orchestra, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Julian Wachner), VIA Records label *

: ''Body Maps'' (VisionIntoArt Ensemble, Stephen Gosling, Jeffrey Zeigler), Tzadik label *

Jeff Beal Jeff Beal (born June 20, 1963) is an American composer of music for film, television, recordings, and the concert hall. Highly regarded as a jazz instrumentalist and versatile composer, Beal creates music that often incorporates a synthesis of im ...

: ''The Paper Lined Shack'' (The Eastman Philharmonia, Leonard Slatkin), Supertrain Records label * Danaë Xanthe Vlasse: ''Poème'', MSR Classics label * Danaë Xanthe Vlasse: ''

'', Cezanne Records label

Personal life

From 1998 to 2017 she was married to composer

. Plitmann holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

References

External links

* *
"A Heavenly Voice Keeps 'Da Vinci' Humming"
Steve Inskeep on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

about ''The Da Vinci Code'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Plitmann, Hila American operatic sopranos Juilliard School alumni Living people 1973 births Israeli emigrants to the United States Musicians from Jerusalem Grammy Award winners 20th-century American women opera singers 21st-century American women opera singers