Hilary Summers is a Welsh contralto.[1] She was trained at Reading University, the Royal Academy of Music, and the National Opera Studio in London.[2] She has performed on soundtracks such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,[3] The Libertine,[4] and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[5] She has created roles for composers Peter Eötvös and Elliot Carter, and is known to have a close working relationship with Michael Nyman.[1] She created the leading role of the Art Banker in Nyman's opera, Facing Goya. Her discography includes, for Chandos, Handel's Partenope and Semele.