He was also awarded a Susan Chilcott Scholarship and has been made a Royal Philharmonic Society Young artist. Thomas 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 has performed and recorded with many leading ensembles including The Cardinall’s Musick, The Tallis Scholars, I Fagiolini, The Sixteen, Polyphony, Ensemble Plus Ultra, Ex-Cathedra and the Dunedin Consort.

On stage, he has performed the role of Acis in Handel Acis and Galatea, Ferrando Cosi Fan Tutte, Ramiro Cenerentola, Conte Barber of Seville and Fileno in Haydn La fedelta premiata for the Royal Academy Opera. An acclaimed recitalist, recent highlights include Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge with the Edinburgh Quartet, Schubert Die Schöne Müllerin and Schumann Liederkreis Op.39.

Equally at home on the concert platform, his repertoire is varied. Engagements include Bach St. John Passion (St Martin in the Fields), the reconstructed Bach St. Mark Passion and Handel Saul (St John’s Smith Square), Bach B Minor Mass (Birmingham Town Hall), Monteverdi Vespers (Three Choirs Festival and with New College, Oxford), Händel Messiah (Hanover Band) and Dvorak Stabat Mater (Exeter Cathedral).

Recently Thomas made his debut with the Stuttgart Kammerchor and Frieder Bernius on tour in Germany and Austria singing Handel’s Israel in Egypt, the reviews of which mentioned his ‘outstanding’ contribution 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 include his debut with Collegium Vocale Gent singing Mozart C Minor Mass on tour in Italy, Bach’s B minor Mass on tour with the Bach Akademie, Stuttgart and in recording with the Dunedin Consort, Britten’s Nocturne with Paul McCreesh and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Haydn’s Creation with the Manchester Camerata, Evangelist St John Passion at Cadogan Hall and Lichfield Cathedral, Händel’s Messiah for Opéra National de Bordeaux, Mozart Songs recital at King’s Place and his first Albert Herring at the Royal Academy of Music.

Thomas Hobbs is represented worldwide by Intermusica.

July 2010 / 387 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.

Bach B minor mass
Dunedin Consort
“Thomas Hobbs' Benedictus is gloriously lyrical”
George Pratt, BBC Music Magazine, July 2010

Evangelist in Bach St Matthew Passion
Birmingham Bach Choir / cond. Paul Spicer
“Thomas Hobbs (delivered) this massive role with absolute conviction, in a voice that ranged from soaring sweetness to dark, tear-choked sorrow. He was tremendous, and he, more than anyone, gave this performance its devastating impact.”
Lichfield Mercury, April 2010

“As was Thomas Hobbs’ tremendous performance as the Evangelist, sung with a radiant tone and astonishing range of vocal characterisation.”
Richard Bratby, The Birmingham Post, April 2010

"Thomas Hobbs, as the Evangelist (delivered) this massive role with absolute conviction, in a voice that ranged from soaring sweetness to dark, tear-choked sorrow. He was tremendous, and he, more than anyone, gave this performance its devastating impact."
This is Tamworth.co.uk, April 2010

Albert in Britten Albert Herring
Royal Academy Opera / cond. Nicholas Kok / dir. John Copley
“As the gormless Albert, Thomas Hobbs admirably conveys the awkward demeanour of an apron-tied lad with a lot to learn.”
Geoff Brown, The Times, March 2010

“From amongst the strong cast, Thomas Hobbs in the title role stands out. His stunning tenor voice is consistently ethereal, although never so heavenly as to stop us from believing that this really is just a small town lad. He also proves a fine actor as his face carries a look of total bewilderment during the May Day festivities, which reminds us that it requires just as much skill to produce comic expressions as serious ones.”
Sam Smith, What’s On Stage, March 2010

“Hobbs has a powerful but pure tenor voice, which he used with musicality and technical assurance…what will stay with me longer is the masterly and wholly credible pathos with which he sang about his fear (of adulthood) in the second act.”
Agnes Kory, Musical Criticism, March 2010

“Thomas Hobbs made a memorable large, ungainly Albert, sung as well as any of his prestigious predecessors in the role, his body language and facial expressions alive to every moment of his humiliation and resurrection with new found determination to be his own man.”
Peter Graham Woolf, Musical Pointers, March 2010

Haydn The Creation
Manchester Camerata / Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus / cond. Paul Borough
“Tenor Thomas Hobbs was highly impressive as Uriel with crystal clear diction. The recitative of the creation of day and night, the seasons, years and days was marvellously unfurled and his arias were sung with lyrical warmth.”
Bernard Lee, Sheffield Telegraph, December 2009

Count Alberto in Rossini L’occasione f ail ladro
Royal Academy Opera / cond. Dominique Wheeler / dir. Daniele Guerra
“As the unfortunate Alberto, Thomas Hobbs provided some of the most enjoyable and accomplished singing of the evening.”
Stuart Jenkins, Musical Pointers, May 2009

“...The Academy cast was packed with promise...Thomas Hobbs, the Alberto… a Rossini tenor ready to sacrifice seductiveness of timbre to virtuoso accuracy (as Chris Merritt and Rockwell Blake were, as Juan Diego Florez is). His early divisions were accurate…when the aria arrived, the old ideal of 'honeyed elegance' began to inform his performance, and he was winning...”
Andrew Porter, Opera Magazine, July 2009

Damon in Handel Acis and Galatea
Cond. Nicholas McGegan / North German Radio Chorus & Göttingen Festival Orchestra
Recording: CARUS 83.420 / January 2009
"Thomas Hobbs has a bright appealing voice, with considerable agility."
Barry Brenesal, Fanfare Magazine, January 2009

Haydn La Tedelta Premiata
Cond. Trevor Pinnock / Royal Academy Opera
“These conservatoire productions… offer the public a chance to see rare repertoire and spot rising stars, who always work alongside experienced professionals. Trevor Pinnock conducted a bristling performance of La fedelta premiata… Thomas Hobbs and the rest of this excellent cast are names to watch.”
The Observer, March 2009

“The cast I saw (as usual with students productions, one of two companies), fielded some fine voices. Tenor Thomas Hobbs… stood out… making us feel the future of opera is safe.”
whatsonstage.com, March 2009

Handel Acis and Galatea
Dunedin Consort
“The excellent instrumental playing is wonderfully engaging, and particularly enjoyable performance (of)… the very impressive interpretations of young tenor Thonas Hobbs as Damon.”
Sunday Herald, February 2009

“Thomas Hobbs is a bright Damon.”
Classic FM Magazine, February 2009

“Thomas Hobbs in the rols of Damon, Acis’ companion, is smooth-voiced and neat, with forthright delivery…”
International Record Review, February 2009

“…and the impressive young tenor Thomas Hobbs…”
The Scotsman, February 2009

Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge
Edinburgh Quartet
“…but does finding the right performers seem worth the effort? With Thomas Hobbs as tenor soloist and Nicholas Ashton as pianist, the answer this week was yes… But Thomas Hobbs’s voice was incisive enough to cut through the clutter of what was essentially a piano quintet, and he handled the emotion of the climactic song - the mounting sadness of Bredon Hill - with real intensity.”
The Herald, April 2008

Bach St. Mark Passion
Whitehall Choir
“It was, however, the powerful voice of the evangelist, Thomas Hobbs, that really made the performance special. He led us through the trails and tribulations with a brilliantly unassuming authority lightly dappling each phrase with the most delicate vibrato. Still only 23, he is a major to look out for.”
The Telegraph, March 2007

Bach St. John Passion
Henley Choral Society
“Of the soloists, Thomas Hobbs gave an outstanding performance in the crucial role of the Evangelist, singing the gospel narrative throughout with a clear unforced voice in excellent German, and bringing out Bach’s word-painting to good musical effect.”
Henley Standard, April 2007

Monteverdi Vespers
Three Choirs Festival
“He [Nicholas Mulroy] also combined most effectively with fellow tenor Thomas Hobbs in a marvellously fluent and plangent rendition of ‘Duo Seraphim’… Thomas Hobbs… sang the demanding ‘Nigra Sum’ very well indeed and later on the work he also contributed some crucial and most effective offstage echoes.”
Music Web International, August 2007

Monteverdi Vespers
Ex Cathedra, Birminham Town Hall
“All deserved credit for their contributions, but none more so than the echoing, virtuosic pair of tenors, Benjamin Hulett and Thomas Hobbs…”
Birmingham Post, June 2007