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Thomas Hobbs (Tenor) |
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Born: Exeter, England |
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The English tenor, Thomas Hobbs, was born and brought up in Exeter and started musical life as a trumpeter. He began singing at age 16, studying with Brian Northcott and deputising in Exeter’s Cathedral Choir. He graduated in history from King’s College London. He studied singing with the distinguished English tenor Ian Partridge before moving to the Royal College of Music, under the tutelage of Neil Mackie, where he was awarded the RCM Peter Pears and Mason Scholarships. He was also awarded a Susan Chilcott Scholarship (2006) and has been made a Royal Philharmonic Society Young artist. He is currently in his last year of studies at the Royal Academy, where he holds a Kohn Bach Scholarship in addition to a full entrance scholarship, and studies with Ryland Davies.
Thomas Hobbs has been increasingly in demand as a consort singer and soloist in both England and abroad. He was a member of the professional choir of St. Peter’s Eaton Square in London, and has sung regularly with many London church choirs, most frequently at Westminster Abbey under James O’Donnell with whom he was seen on BBC 1 as the tenor soloist in a live broadcast honouring the Victoria Cross. As a consort singer, concerts have included a number of performances with the Binchois Consort, with Jeffrey Skidmore’s Ex Cathedra Consort, with Tenebrae and The English Concert under the direction of Nigel Short, with Stephen Layton’s Polyphony and with the Westminster Abbey Choir. He recorded with the Cardinal’s Musick under Andrew Carwood as part of their William Byrd series, with The Sixteen under Harry Christophers and with the Westminster Abbey Choir. He has performed and recorded with many other leading ensembles including The Tallis Scholars (Director: Peter Phillips), I Fagiolini, Ensemble Plus Ultra and the Dunedin Consort.
On stage, Thomas Hobbs has performed the role of Acis in George Frideric Handel's Acis and Galatea, Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte, Ramiro in Cenerentola, Conte in Barber of Seville, Fileno in Haydn's La fedelta premiata for the Royal Academy Opera, and covering roles for Monteverdi’s Poppea in RCM production
Equally at home on the concert platform, Thomas Hobbs' repertoire is varied. Engagements include J.S. Bach's St. John Passion (BWV 245) (St Martin in the Fields), the reconstructed J.S. Bach's St. Mark Passion (BWV 247) and G.F. Handel's Saul (St John’s Smith Square), J.S. Bach's B Minor Mass (BWV 232) (Birmingham Town Hall), Monteverdi's Vespers (Three Choirs Festival and with Choir of New College, Oxford), G.F. Handel's Messiah (The Hanover Band) and Dvorak's Stabat Mater (Exeter Cathedral). Other concert engagements as a oloists have included Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor and Horn, G.F. Handel's Chandos Anthems, J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248), the role of Evangelist in J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244), Berlioz’s Te Deum, and a performance for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. In recital he has given acclaimed performances of Ralph Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge with the Edinburgh Quartet, Finzi’s Young Man’s Exhortaion and B. Britten’s Abraham and Isaac, Schubert's Die Schone Mullerin and Robert Schumann's Liederkreis Op.39.
Recently Thomas Hobbs made his debut with the Kammerchor Stuttgart and Frieder Bernius on tour in Germany and Austria singing G.F. Handel’s Israel in Egypt, the reviews of which mentioned his ‘outstanding’ contribution; B. Britten's Les Illuminations (Cambridge); and several appearances in the Royal Academy of Music - J.S. Bach: The Cantatas. In May 2008 he appeared for again for Royal Academy Opera as Conte Alberto in Rossini L’occasione fa il ladro, and in July 2009 he was part of the prestigous Academie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival where performed in concert with Louis Langrée and the Camerata Salzburg.
Highlights this season (2009-2010) include his debut with Collegium Vocale Gent singing W.A. Mozart C Minor Mass on tour in Italy, J.S. Bach’s B minor Mass (BWV 232) on tour with the Bach Akademie, Stuttgart and in recording with the Dunedin Consort, B. Britten’s Nocturne with Paul McCreesh and the Stavanger Symfoniorkester, Haydn’s Creation with the Manchester Camerata, Evangelist in St John Passion (BWV 245) at Cadogan Hall and Lichfield Cathedral, G.F. Handel’s Messiah for Opéra National de Bordeaux, W.A. Mozart Songs recital at King’s Place and his first Albert Herring at the Royal Academy of Music. |
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Sources:
Intermusica Website (2010)
Dunedin Consort Website (2008)
Royal Philharmonic Society Website (2006)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (April 2010) |
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Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works |
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Conductor |
As |
Works |
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Paul Agnew |
Tenor |
[CV-1] (2022, Video): BWV 106, BWV 150, BWV 4 |
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The Bach Players |
Tenor |
BWV 75 |
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Frieder Bernius |
Tenor |
C-4 (2017): BWV 235, BWV 80 |
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Avner Biron |
Tenor |
[VV-3] (2023, Video): BWV 232 |
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John Butt |
Tenor |
BWV 232, BWV 248/2, 4 & 5 |
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Peter Dijkstra |
Tenor |
NBV-AOB [AB-69] (2017, Video): BWV 69
NBV-AOB [AB-119] (2017, Video): BWV 119
NBV-AOB [AB-137] (2017, Video): BWV 137 |
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Richard Egarr |
Tenor |
BWV 244 |
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Damien Guillon |
Tenor |
[CV-3] (2014, Audio): BWV 4
[CV-4] (2020, Audio): BWV 47, BWV 60, BWV 78 |
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Philippe Herreweghe |
Tenor |
BWV 21 [3rd, Video], BWV 25, BWV 44 [2nd], BWV 46, BWV 48, BWV 73 [2nd], BWV 105 [2nd], BWV 109, BWV 125 [3rd, Audio/Video], BWV 138 [3rd]
C-24 (2016): BWV 101, BWV 115, BWV 103
[C-25] (2017): BWV 80 [2nd recording], BWV 4
[C-26] (2020): BWV 45, BWV 198 [2nd recording]
U-5 (2014, Video): BWV 43 [2nd recording], BWV 6 [1st recording], BWV 11 [3rd recording]
U-10 (2014, Video): BWV 6 [2nd recording]
Video (2015): BWV 62 [2nd], BWV 91 [2nd], BWV 40, BWV 63 [2nd]
BWV 225-230 [2nd]
[V-15] (2011): BWV 232 [3rd recording]
[V-21] (2014): BWV 232 [4th recording]
V-17 (2012): BWV 244 [5th recording]
[V-20] (2017, Audio): BWV 244 [6th recording]
BWV 248 [2nd, DVD] |
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Philippe Herreweghe |
Tenor |
Member of Collegium Vocale Gent:
C-22 (2012): BWV 25, BWV 138 [3rd],, BWV 105 [2nd], BWV 46
C-23 (2013): BWV 44 [2nd], BWV 48, BWV 73 [2nd], BWV 109
C-24 (2016): BWV 101, BWV 115, BWV 103
[C-25] (2017): BWV 80 [2nd recording], BWV 4, BWV 79
[C-26] (2020): BWV 45, BWV 118, BWV 198 [2nd recording] |
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René Jacobs |
Tenor |
NBV-AOB [AB-245] (2021, Video): BWV 245, 1725 version [2nd recording] |
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Václav Luks |
Tenor |
NBV-AOB [AB-198] (2020, Video): BWV 198 |
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Rudolf Lutz |
Tenor |
DVD/CD: BWV 46 [2016] |
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Stephan MacLeod |
Tenor |
Member of Gli Angeli Genève:
[GV-45] (2020, Video): BWV 4, BWV 68, BWV 133, BWV 121
[GV-47] (2021, Video): BWV 158, BWV 56 [ripieno]
[LV-1] (2021, Video): BWV 158, BWV 56 [ripieno]
[C-3] (2021, CD): BWV 56 [3rd recording; ripieno], BWV 158 [3rd recording; ripieno]
[V-1] (2019): BWV 244 |
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Raphaël Pichon |
Tenor |
C-1 (2014): BWV 244a [2nd recording]
[VV-1] (2016, Video): BWV 244 [1st recording, Tenor 2]
[VV-2] (2016, Video): BWV 244 [2nd recording, Tenor 2, Testis 2] |
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Raphaël Pichon |
Tenor |
Member of Ensemble Pygmalion:
[VV-1] (2016, Video): BWV 244 [1st recording]; J. Kuhnau: Motet Tristis est anima mea; J. Handl Gallus: Ecce quomodo moritur justus
[VV-2] (2016, Video): BWV 244 [2nd recording]; J. Kuhnau: Motet Tristis est anima mea; J. Handl Gallus: Ecce quomodo moritur justus |
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John Rutter |
Tenor |
Member of Cambridge Singers:
C-2 (2009): BWV 118 |
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Shunske Sato |
Tenor |
NBV-AOB [AB-13] (2021, Video): BWV 13
NBV-AOB [AB-60] (2021, Video): BWV 60
NBV-AOB [AB-80] (2022, Video): BWV 80
NBV-AOB [AB-97] (2022, Video): BWV 97
NBV-AOB [AB-117] (2022, Video): BWV 117
NBV-AOB [AB-168] (2021, Video): BWV 168
NBV-AOB [AB-192] (2022, Video): BWV 192 |
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Olivier Spilmont |
Tenor |
[C-3] (2016): BWV 12 [1st recording], BWV 18, BWV 161 |
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Valentin Tournet |
Tenor |
[C-1] (2018): BWV 63, BWV 243a
[V-1] (2017, Audio): BWV 245 [1st recording]
[V-2] (2019, Video): BWV 245 [2nd recording] |
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Valentin Tournet |
Tenor |
Member of La Chapelle Harmonique:
[C-1] (2018): BWV 63, BWV 243a |
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Jos van Veldhoven |
Tenor |
AOB Video: BWV 42 [2016], BWV 67, BWV 55 [2016], BWV 102, BWV 159 [2016], BWV 206, BWV 244 [2014, 3rd recording]
NBV-AOB [AB-232] (2016, Video): BWV 232 [3rd recording]
NBV-AOB [AB-243] (2014, Video): BWV 243
[V-7] (2018, Video) BWV 244 [4th recording, Evangelist] |
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Links to other Sites |
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Thomas Hobbs - Tenor (Official Website)
Thomas Hobbs - Tenor (Intermusica)
Thomas Hobbs - tenor - 2006 Susan Chilcott Scholar (Royal Philharmonic Society) [2006]
Dunedin Consort: Tom Hobbs [2008] |
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