Tobias Cole

Tobias Martin Piers Trevor Cole (born 7 August 1971) is an Dutch-born Australian countertenor and leading artist with Opera Australia. [ [http://www.opera-australia.org.au/opera/oaweb.nsf/lookups/TOBIASCOLE-PERF-?opendocument Opera Australia] Retrieved 28.9.2007]

Early life

Cole was born in Leiden, The Netherlands and in 1976 commenced his education at Newington College. Aged eight, he joined the choir of St. James Church, Sydney, New South Wales, as a treble. As a boy soprano, Cole sang with The Australian Opera (in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Tosca) and with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. He was later appointed Head Chorister of St James’ choir and the Chapel Choir of Newington College and, as a teenager, toured Europe with the latter. Cole completed the Higher School Certificate at Newington in 1988, having commencing there as a preparatory school student in Wyvern House. [Newington College Register of Past Students 1863-1998 (Syd, 1999) pp39]

Tertiary education

Cole is an honours graduate in music from The University of Sydney having studied singing, composition, conducting and musicology. Awarded the 1994 Churchill Fellowship, sponsored by Dame Roma Mitchell, to continue his vocal training with at London’s Royal College of Music and to also further his studies in Early Music. He later received a Queen's Trust Achiever Award for operatic studies in London. In 2002, he was the first countertenor to win Opera Foundation Australia’s Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Study Award and spent three months in New York at the Met. [ [http://www.orianachorale.com.au/pages/mainFrameEventsCalendar.htm Oriana Chorale] Retrieved 28.9.2007]

Performance career

Cole has sung with choirs and vocal ensembles including:
* The Song Company
* The Australian Chamber Singers
* Sydney Chamber Choir
* Choir of St. Paul's Cathedral
* The Llewellyn Choir (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory)

Cole has performed with companies including:
* Opera Australia - Title role in Giulio Cesare, Eustazio in Rinaldo, and Nireno in Cesare
* Queensland Orchestra - St John Passion
* Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Messiah and Carmina Burana
* Chicago Opera Theater - Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Apollo in Death in Venice, Ottone in L'incoronazione di Poppea
* West Australian Opera - Medoro in Orlando
* Opera Queensland - Nireno
* English Bach Festival - Fairy Queen
* Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra - Messiah
* London Handel Festival - Ulisse in Deidamia
* Australian Brandenburg Orchestra - Noel! Noel!
* Pinchgut Opera - Athamas in Semele [ [http://www.pinchgutopera.com.au/productions/?IntCatId=3&IntContId=92&IntContContId=47 Pinchgut Opera] Retrieved 28.9.2007]

Conducting career

* Oriana Chorale, Canberra
* University of Canberra Choir

Recordings

* Semele - ABC Classics
* The Renaissance Players - Walsingham Classics

References