David Hobson (born 18 November 1960) is an Australian opera tenor and composer.

Career

Born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

, Australia, 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 band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

s while studying at the University of Melbourne. However, despite the lack of 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'' in 1986. This led to his 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 the

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

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) 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''. Cheryl Barker - David Hobson

In 1990, he reprised the role of Rodolfo, opposite Cheryl Barker as Mimì, in a new production of ''La bohème'' for The Australian Opera, directed by

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

; 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 Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

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 The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

, in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, and in Brisbane at the Lyric Theatre,

Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...

. The national tour continued in 2007, with seasons in Adelaide and Melbourne, making a total of 100 performances in ten months. 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 The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

and

bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...

operas of the 18th and early 19th centuries, such as those composed by Mozart and Rossini. His

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

roles include Ferrando in ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

'', Don Ottavio in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'', Tamino in '' The Magic Flute'' and Belmonte in '' The Abduction from the Seraglio''. His

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

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 ''La scala di seta'' (''The Silken Ladder'' or ''Die seidene Leiter'') is an operatic '' farsa comica'' in one act by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa. It was first performed in Venice, Italy, at the Teatro San Moisè on ...

'' and Florville in '' Il signor Bruschino''. Many other roles have included Ernesto in Donizetti's '' Don Pasquale'', Nadir in Bizet's '' The Pearl Fishers'', and a highly acclaimed Orphée in Gluck's ''

Orphée et Eurydice ' (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the '' azione teatrale'', meaning an ...

'', (the rarely performed 1774 Paris version for tenor). In 2008, he made his role debut as Nemorino in Donizetti's ''

L'elisir d'amore ''L'elisir d'amore'' (''The Elixir of Love'', ) is a ' (opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's ' (1831). The opera premiere ...

'' with the

Victorian Opera Victorian Opera is an opera company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 2005 by the Victorian Government as a replacement for the Victoria State Opera. It commenced operations in January 2006 with Richard Gill as ...

, and created several roles in their world premiere season of '' Through the Looking Glass'' by Alan John. Hobson 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 ''The Eighth Wonder'' is a 1995 opera by Alan John and with a libretto by Dennis Watkins about the building process of the Sydney Opera House. Production history ''The Eighth Wonder'' was premiered by The Australian Opera at the Sydney Oper ...

'' by Alan John and Michael Chamberlain in '' Lindy'' by

Moya Henderson Moya Patricia Henderson (born 2 August 1941 in Quirindi, New South Wales) is an Australian composer. A graduate of the University of Queensland, Henderson was Resident Composer at Opera Australia during their first season at the Sydney Opera ...

for Opera Australia. In 2006, he sang the title role in a

Perth International Arts Festival Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...

concert performance of ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

'' by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

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

. Hobson is a much sought-after concert artist, frequently appearing in Musica Viva recitals, and oratorios such as Handel's '' Messiah'', and Mendelssohn's '' Elijah'', 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'') or Melbourne ('' Carols by Candlelight'') and, more recently, has appeared regularly in ''Christmas at the House'' at the Sydney Opera House. In February 2008 he made his debut at the

Leeuwin Estate Concert Series The Leeuwin Estate Concert Series are annual open-air events featuring international and Australian performers at Leeuwin Estate Winery. History The first concert was a performance from the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1985, with the Austr ...

in Margaret River with Australian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

Yvonne Kenny, and in March returned to Mildura with another regular partner, Marina Prior, to sing at the ''Opera by the Lock''. Working around his opera, recording and TV commitments, Hobson performed a series of concerts between April and September, appearing in Melbourne and regional Victoria and, marking the release of his CD, ''A Little Closer'', performed in two concerts in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall in November. Hobson and

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...

Teddy Tahu Rhodes' CD ''You'll Never Walk Alone'' was released in February 2009, followed in March by an extensive Australian recital tour. One of the recitals was in

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, and a few weeks later Hobson returned for concerts with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in 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, with Marina Prior, and continued with a reprise performance in the title role of ''Candide'' for the

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists an ...

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, Arts Centre Melbourne, during May. April 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 and a performance of Zender's contemporary interpretation of Schubert's '' Winterreise'' at the Brisbane Powerhouse in July. The CD album ''Singing for Love'', a compilation of work by Hobson and Yvonne Kenny, was released in 2010 before their nationwide concert tour. A busy and varied year concluded with a series of concerts in four states, 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 included a West Australian Opera concert performance of ''Die Fledermaus'' in Perth; a flying visit to New Zealand in March; a third concert appearance with the Victoria Welsh Choir in June; his role debut as Count Danilo in Opera Australia's new production of Lehár's '' The Merry Widow'', followed immediately by another national concert tour with Teddy Tahu Rhodes and performances of Handel's ''Messiah'' with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. There was another compilation CD, ''The Best of David Hobson'' and more solo concerts in several states. In 2012 and 2013, Hobson appeared as

Caractacus Pott Caractacus Pott (Caractacus Potts in the film adaptation) is one of the main characters in Ian Fleming's novel ''Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang'' and its film adaptation. The film version of the story makes several changes to his character. Caractacus ...

s opposite Rachael Beck as

Truly Scrumptious Truly Scrumptious is a fictional character in the 1968 film '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' and stage production based on the children's novel of the same name by author Ian Fleming. In the film the character is portrayed by Sally Ann Howes, after ...

in an Australian touring production of the musical ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film stars ...

''. The inaugural Australian cruise of the performing arts on the in November 2014 included Hobson as well as, among others, Cheryl Barker,

Colin Lane Colin Stuart Lane (born 25 March 1965) is an Australian comedian, actor and TV host, best known for being one-half of comedy duo Lano and Woodley. Lano and Woodley Lane performed with fellow comedian Frank Woodley as part of the duo Lano and Wo ...

, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Simon Tedeschi, Elaine Paige, Marina Prior, and

Jonathon Welch Jonathon Charles Welch (born 5 October 1958) is an Australian choral conductor, opera singer and voice teacher. As a singer, Welch has been a tenor for the Victoria State Opera, Lyric Opera of Queensland and Opera Australia. During 2006 ...

. Hobson made his company debut for Opera Queensland in a staged performance of Bernstein's ''Candide'' in 2015, directed by Lindy Hume. Later that year, he joined Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Lisa McCune and Greta Bradman for a tour of the five Australian mainland state capitals and Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand – where Jennifer Ward-Lealand replaced McCune – From Broadway to La Scala.

Other activities

Hobson was mentor to model and TV host

Erika Heynatz Erika Heynatz (born 25 March 1975) is an Australian model, actress, singer, and television personality. She joined long-running Australian TV series ''Home and Away'' in June 2015, as villainous biology teacher Charlotte King. Career Heynatz ho ...

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 Mimi Macpherson (born Miriam Frances Gow, 18 May 1967) is an Australian environmentalist, entrepreneur and celebrity. She joined a whale-watching boat crew at age 21 and eventually began her own whale-watching business, winning multiple awards b ...

. In late 2007 Hobson appeared in ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'' 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 Julia Carolyn Margaret Morris (born 20 April 1968) is an Australian comedian, television presenter and actress who has worked extensively in Australian television and radio, touring the country with her solo comedy shows. She relocated to the Un ...

. In 2000, Hobson became the Inaugural Patron of the Ballarat Arts Foundation, and continues in that capacity. 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. In 2019, Hobson made a guest appearance on The Wiggles, performing a reworked version of

Funiculì, Funiculà "Funiculì, Funiculà" (, en, "Funicular Up, Funicular Down") is a Neapolitan song composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza to lyrics by Peppino Turco. It was written to commemorate the opening of the first funicular railway on Mount Vesuvius. It was pr ...

alongside fellow Australian opera singer (and current Red Wiggle) Simon Pryce.

Private life

Hobson's early life was spent in

with parents Kathleen and Phil and siblings Anne, Jane, Ruth and Fiona. He met his wife, ballerina Amber Simpson, when they performed together in 1992 in '' L'italiana in Algeri''. They married in 1997. They have two children; daughter Madi (born 1998) and son Sam (born 2001).

Discography

Several of Hobson's operatic performances are available on DVD, and his CD albums include ''Inside This Room'' (a collaboration with

David Hirschfelder David Hirschfelder (born 18 November 1960, Ballarat, Victoria) is an Australian musician, film score composer and performer. As a musician he has been a member of Little River Band and John Farnham Band. He has composed film scores for many films ...

), ''Cinema Paradiso'' (film songs), ''Tenor and Baritone'' (with

Anthony Warlow Anthony Warlow (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980. ...

), ''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 classic pop songs and features two more of his compositions. His CD ''Enchanted Way'', featuring mainly Celtic folksongs of the British Isles, was released in 2010.

DVDs

* 1989: '' The Gondoliers'',

Australian Opera Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...

, DVD * 1991: ''

'', DVD * 1993: '' La bohème'' with Cheryl Barker, directed by

, DVD * 1994: ''

'', DVD * 2005: '' H.M.S. Pinafore'', '' Trial by Jury'', Opera Australia, DVD * 2010: '' The Pirates of Penzance'', Opera Australia, DVD * 2011: ''

'', DVD

Albums

Charting singles

Awards and nominations

ARIA Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are presented annually since 1987 by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). ! , - ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, , " Now Until the Break of Day" , , ARIA Award for Best Video (directed by

) , , , , ARIA Award previous winners. , - ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, , ''Handel: Arias'' , , ARIA Award for Best Classical Album , , , , rowspan="3" , ARIA Award previous winners. , - ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, , ''You'll Never Walk Alone'' (with Teddy Tahu Rhodes) , , Best Classical Album , , , - ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, , ''Enchanted Way'' , , Best Classical Album , ,

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. (wins only) , - , 1993 , David Hobson , Operatic Performance of the Year , , -

Other awards and nominations

* The Handel Society International Recording Prize Nomination ~ ''Handel Arias'' 2003 * AFI (Australian Film Institute),

APRA APRA or Apra may refer to: Places *Apra, Punjab, a census town city in Jalandhar District of Punjab, India * Apra Harbor, the main port of Guam Acronyms * American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana), a Peruvi ...

(Australian Performing Rights Association), Inside Film Awards Nominations, and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Music Score, '' One Perfect Day'' 2004

References

External links

David Hobson official website

Biography
Opera Australia *
"Maybe it's time to break the mould?"
by Jill Sykes, ''Opera~Opera'', November 2006
David Hobson
on Facebook * , STVDIO * , from '' La bohème'', with Cheryl Barker, Opera Australia 1993 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobson, David 1960 births Living people Australian male composers Australian composers Australian operatic tenors People from Ballarat Singing talent show winners Musicians from Victoria (Australia)