Biography

Having made his operatic debut as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Opera Anywhere in 2007, Toby F Scholz has since sung with Riverside Opera, British Youth Opera, the Kijani Festival in Kenya, Canta Salzburg, New Devon Opera, Pegasus Opera and Stanley Hall Opera and others. 2012 featured two world premieres for Toby, Emily Howard’s opera Zátopek! for the London Cultural Olympiad under the patronage of Sir John Tusa with support from the Nicholas Boas Trust, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Thelma as part of the Coleridge Taylor year with Surrey Opera.
Toby played Rodolfo in the original cast of Opera Up Close’s production of La Bohème, winner of the What’s on Stage award for the best off-West End production 2010 and Olivier Awards Best New Opera Production 2011.
A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and former student of the Peter-Cornelius-Konservatorium, Mainz, Toby took part in the Aldeburgh Young Artists’ Programme 2006 and was awarded the Young Singers’ Scholarship at All Saints, Fulham in 2007.
Toby started singing as a chorister with the Peter-Cornelius-Chor aged 11, and has performed with many prestigious choirs such as the Mainzer Figural Chor, the Landesjugendchor Rheinland-Pfalz, the Heinrich Schütz Ensemble and the Sonitus Choir. He collaborated with the Hilliard Ensemble in 2002 and is currently a member of the Pegasus Chamber Choir.
Repertoire roles include Lensky (Eugene Onegin), Tamino (Zauberflöte), Lord Percy (Anna Bolena), Alfredo (La Traviata), Spoletta (Tosca), Goro and Yamadori (Madama Butterfly) besides an exhaustive selection of recital repertoire and popular oratorios such as Messiah, Elijah, Die Schöpfung and Mozart’s Requiem.
Toby currently studies with Josephine Veasey and Mario Diaz.

Résumé

Performances

Madeleine (Sailor), Surrey Opera, Redhill, 2021
Elijah & Schubert, PCK Choir, Vienna & Heiligenkreuz, 2019
The Messiah, PCK Orchestra & Choir, Mainz, September 2015
Missa Solemnis, Heinrich Schütz Ensemble, Vornbach, August 2013
Aïda (Radames), Kentish Opera, May 2013
Merrie England (Sir Walter Raleigh), Chelmsford Opera, September 2012
Zátopek!, opera by Emily Howard for the Cultural Olympiad, June 2012
Die Fledermaus (cover Eisenstein), Kentish Opera, May 2012
Thelma (chorus & cover Neck-König), Surrey Opera, January 2012
Quartet (movie, background singer and artiste), October & December 2011
La Traviata (Alfredo), Chelmford Opera, September 2011
Carmen (chorus), New Devon Opera, July 2011
Eugene Onegin (Peasant Leader, cover Lensky, chorus), Stanley Hall Opera, June / July 2011
La Bohème (Rodolfo), OperaUpClose, SOHO Theatre, London August & September 2010 (winner of the What’s on Stage best Off-West End Show 2010, 2011 Olivier Awards Best New Opera Production)
Aïda (Radames), Riverside Opera, Epsom Playhouse, March 2011
Madama Butterfly (Goro, Yamadori), OperaUpClose, King’s Head Theatre, Dec 10 – Jan 11
Messiah (staged), Merry Opera, UK Tour, October & November 2010
Eugene Onegin (Lensky), Candlelight Opera, England Tour Autumn 2010
Tosca (Spoletta), Candlelight Opera, England Tour 2010
Barber of Seville (chorus), Stanley Hall Opera, Halstead, June 2010
Iolanthe (Lord Tolloller), Windsor & Eton OS, Norden Farm Theatre, April 2010
La Bohème (Rodolfo), OperaUpClose, Cock Tavern Theatre, London, November 2009 – May 10
The Magic Flute (Tamino), Kijani Festival, Nairobi & Mombasa areas, Kenya, March 2009
La Rondine (A Student), British Youth Opera, London, September 2008
The Fairy Queen, Aylesbury Symphony Orchestra under Richard Heason, Aylesbury, July 2008
La Traviata (Gastone), La Vox Lirika, London and Portsmouth, March – April 2008
Graduation Recital, including works by Browne, Howells, Pascarella, Tippett, Vierne and Webern, 2007
Song Recital: Dichterliebe (Schumann), Les Angelus (Vierne), To Julia (Quilter) for the All Saints Recital Series, London, May 2007
Education
2009 private student of Josephine Veasey and Mario Diaz
2008 SingUp! Group Leader of Musical Education Training for KS 1 and 2 with Glyndebourne Education
2006 – 2007 honorary year as Associate of the Opera Course at the GSMD, London
2003 – 2006 BMus at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London
Student of singing and music production with Brian Parsons and Jono Buchanan
1993 – 2001 Junior music student at the Peter-Cornelius-Konservatorium, Mainz
Singing with Werner Schüßler, piano with Hans Georg Lange, choir and conducting with Ronald Pelger, harmony with Konrad Georgi, rhythm with Thomas Fuchs
1992 – 2001 Rabanus Maurus Gymnasium in Mainz, Germany (A-levels: Music, Chemistry, Greek)
Prizes, Awards and Achievements
2007 Young Singers’ Scholarship of All Saints, Fulham
Master Classes
08/2010 with Rosalind Plowright, 11/2008 with Roger Vignoles (London Song Festival), 01/2008 with Iain Ledingham, 11/2007 with Jeremy Silver, 10/2007 with John Upperton, 10/2006 with Theresa Cahill, 02/2004 with Meribeth Bunch

Employment History
Freelance solo and ensemble singer
2009 Lay Clerk at Westminster Central Hall
2007 – 2010 Merchandising Assistant, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
2006 – 2007 Lay Clerk at All Saints Church, Fulham
1999 – 2001 Musical Director of the Portuguese parish in Mainz
Conducting and managing the parish choir.
Voluntary Work
2010 Associate Artist of the King’s Head Theatre, London
2009 Member of the Pegasus Chamber Choir (supporting various charities), London
2009 Development and Fundraising Co-ordinator for Pegasus Opera Company, London (continuing)
1999 – 2001 Group and session leader of the National Youth Choir Rheinland-Pfalz
(under Albrecht Schneider), Germany; rehearsing voice groups and coordinating leisure events
1998 – 1999 Representative of the student council at the Rabanus Maurus Gymnasium
From 1996 member of the Mainzer Figural Chor

Further skills
Fluent in speaking and writing of German and Italian
Fluent in reading and pronouncing French, Russian and Czech
Full clean British driving licence ABCE
Certificates of skills in advanced first aid and basic food hygiene
Advanced computer literacy including Microsoft Office, Logic, Final Cut, web languages, php, C++, C# and Python.
Latinum and Graecum

Profile I am an intelligent and vibrant young person who possesses ideal communication and interpersonal skills. Devotion to music defines my life, and enthusiasm and diligence make me an interesting person to work with. While relishing a traditional approach to music, I am open-minded towards challenging productions and daring interpretations. I am a quick and accurate learner and as an excellent team worker, I am able to adapt to a new environment quickly and appropriately. Through working in renowned venues with excellent artists, I have gained sound stagecraft skills, and can deliver a high standard of performance in virtually any situation.