David Hobson (born 1960 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia), is an Australian opera singer.
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Hobson sang with church and school choirs and local music groups as a child, but he was still vocally untrained when he performed as lead singer and bass guitarist with rock bands while studying at the University of Melbourne. However, despite this lack of formal training, after his voice was heard on a demonstration tape of Macbeth (see below) he was invited to join the Victoria State Opera, understudying the role of Frederic in the VSO's Joseph Papp (Broadway) version of The Pirates of Penzance [1] in 1986. This led to him becoming a member of the Company's Young Artists Programme, and making his debut as Rodolfo in a Victorian country tour production of La bohème in 1987. In 1988 he made his debut with The Australian Opera (now Opera Australia) when he created the role of Lawrence in the world premiere of Brian Howard's opera Whitsunday.
He is also the composer of Macbeth (a 1985 music theatre piece),[2] Remembering Rosie (2001 chamber opera), The Loch Ard Suite (for the 2002 light/sound installation Shipwrecked[3] 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.
In 1990 he reprised the role of Rodolfo in a new production of La bohème for The Australian Opera, directed by a new young director from NIDA, Baz Luhrmann; this went on to become one of the Company's most successful productions. It was filmed during its 1993 return season and broadcast on ABC TV several times. Released on VHS in 1994, it was to become the first opera available on DVD (1998) and continues to be a best seller worldwide.
Hobson's Gilbert and Sullivan roles with Opera Australia, include "Nanki-Poo" in The Mikado, "Marco Palmieri" in The Gondoliers, "Ralph Rackstraw" in H.M.S. Pinafore and "The Defendant" in Trial by Jury.
Hobson returned to the role of "Frederic" in the record-breaking Opera Australia production of The Pirates of Penzance with seasons during 2006 in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House, in Canberra, and in Brisbane at the Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The national tour continued in 2007, with seasons in Adelaide and Melbourne, making a total of 100 performances in ten months.
Although his operatic repertoire extends from 17th century works to the present, Hobson's high lyric tenor voice (he is actually a rare haute-contre or baroque tenor) is best suited to the baroque and bel canto operas of the 18th and early 19th centuries, such as those composed by Mozart and Rossini. His Mozart roles include "Ferrando" in Così 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 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 Donizetti's Don Pasquale , "Nadir" in Bizet's The Pearl Fishers,[4] and a highly-acclaimed "Orphée" in Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice, (the rarely-performed 1774 Paris version for tenor).
In 2008 he made his role debut as "Nemorino" in Donizetti's The Elixir of Love with the Victorian Opera, and created several roles in their World Premiere season of Through the Looking Glass by Alan John.[5][6][7]
Hobson also created the role of the "Chevalier de Danceny" in the San Francisco Opera World Premiere of The Dangerous Liaisons by Conrad Susa,[8] as well as "The Architect" in The Eighth Wonder by Alan John and "Michael Chamberlain" in Lindy by Moya Henderson for Opera Australia.
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 Elizabeth II and many other distinguished guests, at a State Dinner in Canberra.
Several of Hobson's 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 drawn from earlier albums), The Exquisite Hour (a collection of French Art songs) and The Promise (his arrangements of an eclectic selection of songs from musicals, pop, etc., and two of his own compositions), which achieved Gold status within three weeks of release in November 2007. His 2008 album, A Little Closer – covers of classic pop songs, and two more of his compositions – was released on 4 October 2008.
Hobson is a much sought-after concert artist, frequently appearing in Musica Viva recitals, and oratorios such as Handel's Messiah,[9] and Mendelssohn's Elijah,[10] as well as opera galas, recitals and solo concerts, displaying both his extensive classical and lighter repertoires. Since 1991 he has been a regular performer at the outdoor Christmas concerts in either Sydney (Carols in the Domain)[11] or Melbourne (Carols by Candlelight)[12] and, more recently, has appeared regularly in Christmas at the House at the Sydney Opera House.[13] In February 2008 he made his debut at the Leeuwin Estate Concert Series in Margaret River, Western Australia with internationally-renowned Australian soprano Yvonne Kenny,[14] and in March returned to Mildura, Victoria with another regular partner Marina Prior to sing at the Opera by the Lock. Working around his opera, recording and TV commitments, Hobson also performed a series of concerts between April and September, appearing in Melbourne and regional Victoria and, marking the release of his new A Little Closer CD, performed in two lavish concerts in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, on 21 and 23 November.
Hobson and bass-baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes' CD You'll Never Walk Alone was released in February 2009, followed in March by an extensive Australian recital tour.[15] One of the recitals was in Hobart, and a few weeks later Hobson returned for concerts with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in both Hobart and Launceston.
Much of the second half of 2009 was occupied with touring for Musica Viva, while December was devoted to another performance of Handel's Messiah with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic at Melbourne Town Hall, a season of Christmas at the House in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, and an appearance at Melbourne's traditional Christmas Eve celebration Carols by Candlelight, at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, televised nationally.
Hobson's 2010 schedule began with a return to Opera in the Alps at Beechworth, Victoria, with Marina Prior, and continued with a reprise performance in the title role of Candide for the Sydney Festival concert presentation of Opera in the Domain (both in January); another recital with Teddy Tahu Rhodes in Adelaide (March); and the principal role of "Eisenstein" – which he last performed in 2000 – in the Opera Australia production of the Johann Strauss II operetta Die Fledermaus at the State Theatre, Melbourne Arts Centre, during May.[16] His latest CD – featuring mainly Celtic folksongs of the British Isles and entitled Enchanted Way – was released 30 April 2010. April also saw Hobson's debut as a specialist presenter on the new Pay-TV STVDIO arts channel.
Hobson followed the Fledermaus season of traditional operetta with something completely different when he appeared at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in his stagework Am I Really Here? in June 2010[17] and a performance of Zender's contemporary interpretation of Schubert's Winterreise at the Brisbane Powerhouse in July.[18] On 6 August 2010 the CD album Singing for Love, a compilation of work by Hobson and Yvonne Kenny, was released prior to their nationwide concert tour in August/September 2010.[19] A busy and varied year concluded with a series of concerts in four states (October/December), including three performances in Brisbane for the 25th Anniversary season of Spirit of Christmas at QPAC and a regulation appearance at Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight.
Hobson's 2011 schedule so far includes a West Australian Opera concert performance of Die Fledermaus in Perth (5 February; [20] a flying visit to New Zealand in March;[21] a third concert appearance with the Victoria Welsh Choir (18 June); [22] his role debut as Count Danilo in Opera Australia's new production of Lehár's The Merry Widow[23] (Sydney, 4 August – 22 October), followed immediately by another national concert tour with Teddy Tahu Rhodes (27 October – 26 November)[24] and performances of Handel's Messiah with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Orchestra (8, 10, 11 December) at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.[25] There was also another compilation CD, The Best of David Hobson (released in April) and more solo concerts in several states.
Hobson was mentor to model and TV host Erika Heynatz when they won the Seven Network reality singing show, It Takes Two in 2006, and returned in the 2007 season to partner celebrity Mimi Macpherson. In late 2007 Hobson appeared in Dancing with the Stars Series 7, with he and his mentor, Karina Schembri, finishing in third place. In 2008 he resumed his more familiar role of mentor to win It Takes Two Series 3, with Julia Morris.[26][27]
In 2000 Hobson became the Inaugural Patron of the Ballarat Arts Foundation, and continues in that capacity.[28]
At the end of March 2008, Musica Viva Australia announced Hobson's appointment as the Musica Viva in Schools Ambassador for a programme to raise an awareness of the importance of music education in Australian schools.[29]