Tobias Cole

Counter Tenor

Tobias Cole is one of Australia’s most successful countertenors,  having performed throughout Australia, New Zealand, the UK and USA.

After winning the Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Study Award, Tobias made his U.S. debut in 2004 playing Ottone (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), returning to sing Apollo (Death in Venice) and Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) all for the Chicago Opera Theater.

He has sung with West Australian Opera (Orlando), Opera Queensland (Julius Caesar), The Renaissance Players, The Song Company, Kent Opera (Masque of Dioclesian), Australian Ballet (Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater), at Sydney and Melbourne Festivals (Shaun Parker’s This Show is About People), London Handel Festival (Deidamia) and with the English Bach Festival (The Fairy Queen and Le Bourgeois gentilhomme).

Highlight performances include the title role in Julius Caesar (nominated for Helpmann and Green Room Awards),  Medoro (Orlando), Eustazio (Rinaldo) and Oberon for Opera Australia; the title role in Xerxes for NZ Opera and Victorian Opera (winning a Green Room Award); Studz in Alan John’s How to Kill Your Husband for Victorian Opera; Roberto (Griselda) and Athamas (Semele) for Pinchgut Opera; La Speranza and Pastore 3 in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with Australian Brandenburg Orchestra; Carmina Burana for West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Queensland Music Festival; Messiah and St. John Passion with Queensland Symphony Orchestra; Dr Who Symphonic Spectacular with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Dido and Aeneas and John Adams’ El Ñino with Sydney Philharmonia, and Bach’s Mass in B minor at the Canberra International Music Festival with Song Company; title role in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten for State Opera of South Australia, the title role in the Australian premiere of Handel’s Alexander Balus with Canberra Choral Society, Bach Mass in B minor at Woodend Winter Arts Festival, a staged version of St Matthew Passion (Opera Queensland), Didymus in Handel’s Theodora (Canberra Choral Society), Carmina Burana (Canberra Symphony Orchestra) and Handel’s Messiah (Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Collegium Symphonic Chorus Perth, Sydney Philharmonia, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Canberra Choral Society), as well as appearances at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. Tobias has performed a number of programs with Bach Akademie Australia and in 2019-21 he performed the (baritone) role of Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore (Siren Theatre) in Hayes, Glen Street and Riverside Theatres, and in regional NSW.

Performance highlights in his home town of Canberra include three staged Handel oratorios – Susanna, Esther and Jephtha (The Vow) – in the Canberra Playhouse, produced by his company Handel in the Theatre; and acting alongside Sonia Todd in Alana Valentine’s adaptation of Cold Light by Frank Moorhouse.

Currently, Tobias is Chorus Master for the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Director of ANU Chamber Choir, producer of Cole’s Opera Salon at Smiths Alternative and sings with violinist John Ma (Apeiron Baroque) and guitarist Minh Le Hoang.