Leanne Dobinson

Articleissues
unreferenced=March 2008
expand=March 2008
wikify=March 2008Infobox Musical artist


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Name = Leanne Dobinson
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Leanne Dobinson
Alias =
Born = 15 June, 1986
Died =
Origin = England
Instrument = Singing
Genre = Pop, musicals, classical
Occupation =
Years_active = 2006–present
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Current_members =
Past_members =

Leanne Dobinson (born 15 June, 1986 in Barking, London, England) is an English singer and was a contestant on the BBC1 show, "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" which sought to find the leading lady for the new Andrew Lloyd Webber produced version of "The Sound of Music" that will open in the West End in autumn 2006. She was voted out in the fourth round of the show on Saturday 2 September, 2006 so did not play the part of Maria von Trapp. However Lloyd Webber advised her to keep training to be a singer as she has a lot of talent.Fact|date=March 2008

Background

Dobinson was born in Barking and has been singing since she was young and has had little formal training. She attended The Sandon School in Chelmsford, Essex from 1997 before studying music at the Colchester Institute in 2002. After being inspired by a Lesley Garrett television show she taught herself how to sing in Italian, French, German and Latin after borrowing some CDs from a library.

Although Dobinson played the role of a young Eponine in "Les Miserables" in the West End, it involved just walking across the stage each night and she did not get the chance to sing.

She took part in about ten local talent competitions between the ages of 9 to 15, the biggest was the Haven Stars of Tomorrow National Finals, which she won.

In 2006 she was working as an Assistant Manager in a ladies clothes shop until one week before her first audition for Maria.

Following her appearance on "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" within weeks she was cast in the lead role of Snow White in the pantomime "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" performed at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. She performed alongside West End favourite Marti Webb, who played the Wicked Queen. After Snow white she was given the role of Flo Simpson in Make Do And Mend at The Theatre Royal Nottingham. Since Make Do And Mend she has been having lessons in acting, dancing and singing. She will be making her West End debut as Cosette in Les Miserable at The Queens Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, from 23 June 2008.

Songs performed during the BBC Show

*For the first of the BBC "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" knock-out shows Dobinson sang the Björk song "It's Oh So Quiet", for which she obtained enough public phone votes to go through to the next round.
*On the second of the shows she sang the Dee C. Lee song "See the Day".
*On the third show she sang the Dolly Parton song "9 to 5"
*On the fourth show she sang "Hopelessly Devoted to You" from the musical "Grease". She managed to secure enough public phone votes to go through the evening's first round, but in the second round was in the bottom two with Helena Blackman. They then sung a joint rendition of the song "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". After much deliberation Lloyd Webber said that he wanted to save Blackman. Afterwards she said "I knew this was coming. When the standard in this high – I expected it. If my age was an issue they shouldn't have put me here but I'm grateful for the opportunity. It's been amazing. And anyway – I'm glad I'm out because next week it's all about dancing!"

At the special concert at Andrew Lloyd Webber's country home at Sydmonton, Dobinson sang "Wouldn't it be Lovely?" from "My Fair Lady".

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/leannedobinsonperformer Leanne Dobinson's MySpace]