Toby Spence

Toby Spence is a professional and internationally renowned tenor. He was educated at Uppingham School and gained an honours degree in music at New College, Oxford, where he was a choral scholar. He continued his vocal studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied with David Pollard. His big break came soon after completion of his studies on the opera course and he was cast as Idamante in Welsh National Opera’s production of "Idomeneo", conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras.

Spence was born into a musical family that had once owned Squire Pianos, a piano manufactory in North London. His father was a doctor, and his mother a pianist, who worked as an archivist at the Royal College of Music. As a young mother, she worked as personal assistant to Walter Legge and Yehudi Menuhin. Artists and musicians were regular lunch guests at the house.

Career

Toby’s talent as a stage actor was established early in his career. Among his first engagements were "La Calisto" with Rene Jacobs in Brussels, Mitridate in "Mitridate Rè di Ponto" under Roger Norrington at the Mozart week in Salzburg, and subsequently at the Salzburg Summer Festival, Almaviva in Rossini’s "Il barbiere di Siviglia" at the English National Opera, and David in "Die Meistersinger" under Antonio Pappano at La Monnaie in Brussels. At the same time he was performing on the concert platform in repertoire ranging from Beethoven’s "Missa Solemnis" to "Saint François d’Assise" by Messiaen.

Toby's natural ability and stagecraft has led to ongoing relationships with opera companies including ENO, the Opéra National de Paris and the Bavarian State Opera. His career with the Royal Opera at Covent Garden is nascent. After creating the role of Ferdinand in Thomas Adès' opera The Tempest, he has been invited to appear in the next three seasons at Covent Garden.

The tenor also has a close association with The Scottish Ensemble, a string ensemble based in Glasgow, which draws its players from the orchestras of London and Scotland. Every year Toby tours Scotland with the ensemble, performing recitals in all the major cities north of the border. Recently they recorded a disc of Britten’s song cycles together, which was greeted enthusiastically by British and international critics alike.

On the concert platform his engagements include a recital and a concert with The Scottish Ensemble at Wigmore Hall, The War Requiem in Vienna, and Bach’s St John Passion with the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle.

Current roles

During 2005 and 2006 the tenor's stage roles have ranged from Prince Tamino in "The Magic Flute" at the Teatro Real in Madrid and at ENO, to the Madwoman in Benjamin Britten’s "Curlew River" at the Edinburgh Festival, Count Almaviva in Rossini’s "The Barber of Seville" at Covent Garden and Tom Rakewell in Igor Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress".

Evading categorisation since the beginning of his career, Spence has been described as being at home in both Wagner and Rameau roles, along with everything in between. In the 2006 summer season of the Santa Fe Opera, he sang the roles of Tamino and Ferdinand, the latter in the American premiere production of Thomas Adès' "The Tempest".

Interests

Toby Spence has many interests outside his work as a musician. He is a keen walker, runner, climber, sailor, golfer and traveller. Three years ago he took time out of his work schedule to travel around Iran. “In this age it is a part of the world about which I am told to hold strong opinions, but about which I knew very little. I now know better.” He is currently studying to become a yachtmaster and learning to surf.

External sources

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1668026,00.html Erica Jeal, "I can be a bit of a rake", "The Guardian", London, 16 December, 2005]

He also enjoys playing Guitar hero with his nephews...