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Our guest on 05.10.2008

Robin Merrill, DW-TV-Presenter

https://p.dw.com/p/FVJz

Robin Merrill is the Presenter of the English version of DW TVs Lifestyle Show "Euromaxx". He’s been living in Berlin since 1989 and also works as a singer, as a Conferencier or MC, and as a professional speaker for films, documentaries and image films. He’s the singer with his own orchestra, The "Savoy Dance Orchestra" and before that was the lead singer of the world famous "Pasadena Roof Orchestra."

Singing has always been a central point of Robin Merrill’s life. He started young: At the age of 8 he joined the choir of Salisbury Cathedral and sang there until his voice broke when he was 13. He later studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

From there in 1978 he went straight into the West End of London as a member of the original cast of "Evita" the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. One year later he joined the world famous "Pasadena Roof Orchestra" as their lead singer and for the next ten years was on tour throughout Europe performing in the major concert halls.

And all this after deciding to become a singer by chance. At a concert in his school when he was 17 Robin was set to play the oboe in the orchestra. When the Baritone soloist was taken ill prior to the performance, Robin stepped in to sing the solo. On finding girls talking to him after the concert Robin realised that singers were perhaps more "attractive" than oboists! So he decided on a vocal career!

In 1988 Robin married Karola, left the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and moved to his wife’s home town Berlin. Here he presented his own daily radio show for BFBS Radio.

In 1994 he started his own band "The Savoy Dance Orchestra" with Stefan Warmuth and since then the orchestra has also performed around Europe and beyond – Abu Dhabi and China just recently. The SDO are a big band who perform swing classics from the likes of Benny Goodman, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and more. They also specialise in swing interpretations of songs by modern songwriters like Sting and Van Morrison.

Robin Merrill is a real all round talent – although he admits that modern technology has definitely got the better of him! He’s useless with computers and the like! Since 1995 he’s been working regularly as a presenter for DW TV , and for the last five years presenting "Euromaxx" Apart from this he fulfils engagements as a singer, Conferencier, and as a professional speaker.

He’s the narrating voice of promotional films of the European Union, the voice on countless museum guides, and more recently voices computer games with numerous accents and vocal disguises!

But it’s not always entertainment. He’s the English voice on many answer machines for German companies. However he was disappointed when a colleague of his was chosen to be the voice in the Berlin public toilet and he also didn’t get to be the voice on the Berlin Underground system! But you cannot travel far in Berlin without hearing his dulcet tones!