Farewell to a man of flair, style
OBITUARY: Russell Hugh Smith March 10, 1930 — April 19, 2018
RUSSELL Smith — bass-baritone, actor, director and writer — passed away on April 19. He was born in 1930 in the regional town of Warracknabeal, Victoria.
As a youth in Melbourne he studied trumpet, sang in a church choir and took singing lessons from Cecil Trowbridge, subsequently taking an opportunity to study at the Guildhall School of Music in London.
Russell was awarded a scholarship to Detmold, Germany, and in 1963 met his future wife, Anje.
Renowned especially for basso buffo roles in opera and operetta, Russell became a senior lecturer at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music and co-founded the Tasmanian Opera Company in 1971, remaining as its executive and artistic director until 1975.
As a bass-baritone, he performed in some 80 opera productions with many of the great singers and conductors, working in Australia, England, Ireland and Wales, as well as about 50 productions in West Germany.
While his most famous role was as Don Pasquale in Donizetti’s opera, Russell was also a memorable Beckmesser in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger and Mozart’s Don Alfonso ( Cosi fan tutte), Figaro ( The Marriage of Figaro) and Leporello ( Don Giovanni).
He worked extensively in concert performance and in oratorio, also directing more than 30 productions between 1959 and 1995.
In 1993 Russell was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to the performing arts as a singer and teacher of opera. Russell had a natural flair for comedy, and his voice maintained a freshness and flexibility of timbre throughout his career.
He was an inspiring teacher as well as a tireless promoter of new talent and the development of performance opportunities in Tasmania.
In recent years Russell suffered declining health, but always managed a twinkle in the eye on encountering old friends and colleagues.
Russell is survived by his wife Anje and children Benjamin and Jennifer.