David Hobson (singer)

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David Hobson (born 1960 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia), is an Australian opera singer.

Hobson began as a singer and bass guitarist with rock bands, while studying at The University of Melbourne — before becoming a member of the Victoria State Opera in 1986 (first role "Frederic" in The Pirates of Penzance), and Opera Australia in 1988 (as "Lawrence" in the World Premiere of Whitsunday by Brian Howard).

He is also the composer of Macbeth (a 1985 music theatre piece), Remembering Rosie (2001 chamber opera), The Loch Ard Suite (for the 2002 light/sound installation Shipwrecked at Warrnambool, Victoria) and the award-winning 2004 orchestral score for the Australian film One Perfect Day, as well as a number of songs including Inside This Room and the title song for One Perfect Day.

An internationally renowned tenor due to his performance of "Rodolfo" in the 1990 Baz Luhrmann version of La Bohème (Puccini) for Opera Australia (available worldwide on DVD), Hobson first sang that role in the Victoria State Opera production touring country Victoria in 1987.

Hobson's Gilbert and Sullivan roles, with Opera Australia, include "Nanki-Poo" in The Mikado, "Marco Palmieri" in The Gondoliers, "Ralph Rackstraw" in HMS Pinafore and "The Defendant" in Trial by Jury. All of these Gilbert and Sullivan productions have been released on DVD by Opera Australia and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but The Mikado (filmed in 1987) has a different "Nanki-Poo", as Hobson did not join the Company until the following year.

Hobson is currently reprising his role of "Frederic" in the Opera Australia production of The Pirates of Penzance (another popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera), with performances during 2006 in Sydney, New South Wales (at the Sydney Opera House), in Canberra, A.C.T. and in Brisbane, Queensland (at the Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre). During 2007, there will be performances in Adelaide, South Australia, and Melbourne, Victoria. (Anthony Warlow is appearing in the role of the "Pirate King" in the production, which was filmed for TV, and has now been released on DVD.)

His Mozart roles include "Ferrando" in Cosi fan tutte, "Don Ottavio" in Don Giovanni, "Tamino" in The Magic Flute and "Belmonte" in The Abduction from the Seraglio.

His Rossini roles include "Lindoro" in L'Italiana in Algeri, "Ramiro" in the Cinderella opera La Cenerentola, "Count Almaviva" in The Barber of Seville, "Dorvil" in La scala di seta and "Florville" in Il Signor Bruschino.

Many other roles have included "Ernesto" in Don Pasquale (Donizetti), "Nadir" in The Pearlfishers (Bizet), and a highly-acclaimed "Orphée" in Orphée et Eurydice, (the rarely-performed 1774 Paris version for tenor) by Gluck, who rewrote his original 1762 (Vienna) version of Orfeo ed Euridice to suit French tastes .

Hobson also created the role of the "Chevalier de Danceny" in the San Francisco Opera World Premiere of The Dangerous Liaisons by Conrad Susa, as well as "The Architect" in The Eighth Wonder by Alan John and "Michael Chamberlain" in Lindy (Moya Henderson) for Opera Australia - a live performance of the latter production is available on CD.

In 2006 he sang the title role in a Perth International Arts Festival concert performance of Candide by Leonard Bernstein and received rave reviews. Just weeks later he had the honour of singing before HM The Queen and many other distinguished guests, at a State Dinner in the Federal Capital, Canberra.

Hobson is a much sought-after concert artist, appearing in oratorios such as Messiah (Handel), and Elijah (Mendelssohn), as well as opera galas, recitals and solo concerts, displaying both his extensive classical and lighter repertoire. Since 1991 he has also been a regular performer at the outdoor Christmas concerts in either Sydney (Carols in the Domain) or Melbourne (Carols by Candlelight) and, more recently, has appeared in Christmas in the House at the Sydney Opera House.

Several of his operatic performances are available on DVD, and his CD albums include Inside This Room (a collaboration with David Hirschfelder), French and Italian Arias, Handel Arias, Cinema Paradiso (film songs), David Hobson - The Live Album (a retrospective), Tenor and Baritone (with Anthony Warlow), Presenting David Hobson (a compilation) and The Exquisite Hour (a collection of French Art songs).

[edit] Awards and nominations

  • Career Awards and Nominations to date:
  • The Dame Joan Sutherland Scholarship 1988
  • Operatic Performer of the Year (MO Awards) 1993
  • Sydney Theatre Critics Award for roles of "Rodolfo" and "Orphée" 1993
  • The Melbourne Age Performing Arts Award for role of "Orphée" 1994
  • ARIA (The Australian Record Industry Association) Award for Best Music Video: Now Until the Break of Day 1998.
  • ARIA Award Nomination, Best Classical Recording ~ Handel Arias 2002
  • The Handel Society International Recording Prize Nomination ~ Handel Arias 2003
  • AFI (Australian Film Institute), APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association) and IF Magazine Nominations, and the FCCA (Film Critics Circle of Australia) Award for Best Music Score, One Perfect Day 2004.

[edit] Trivia

An allround athlete (and amateur Aussie Rules footballer) in his youth, Hobson continues to keep fit with running, tennis, surfing and football 'kickabouts' (with a group of friends). A recent appearance at a charity cricket match showed that he's still a respectable batsman/bowler as well, despite not having played the game since his university days.

Hobson was Mentor to model and TV host Erika Heynatz, when they won the Channel 7's reality singing show, It Takes Two in 2006.

[edit] External links

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