Tom Hawkey-Soar
Programme: Summer programme
Discipline: Singer (tenor)
Role: Tom Rakewell
Year: 2026
“I’m Tom, a tenor based in Birmingham. I perhaps came to opera comparatively late, having been convinced I only wanted to be a professional choral singer, and laughed at the suggestion I’d ever get the “opera bug”. All that changed when I sang the role of Albert Herring in my final Undergraduate year, and the bug bit. I find I’m particularly drawn to 20th-century and lesser-performed repertoire, with the aim, as with all musical experiences, of telling a story.
I grew up in Sussex, where I’ve played in a brass band since childhood. I enjoy conducting as a way of thinking about music from a different angle. Otherwise, you’ll usually find me in the kitchen, on the squash court, or admiring modernist architecture while attempting to look inconspicuous.”