BIOGRAPHY

American baritone Daniel Mobbs has won praise on both sides of the Atlantic for his "solid, resonant voice and boundless energy...his stage presence virtually ensured that he was the focal point of nearly every scene in which he appeared," as written in the New York Times.

2008 has brought a wealth of interesting and challenging roles to Daniel Mobbs. Garnering rave reviews as Baritone #1 (the Cold Genius of Winter) in Mark Morris's New York City Opera production of Purcell's King Arthur, he concurrently soloed in the Opera Orchestra of New York's Gala 100th Concert at Carnegie Hall. Spring season roles include Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette at Baltimore Opera, Capellio in BIanca e Falliero at Washington Concerto Opera, the tile role in Guillaume Tell at the National Opera (Warsaw), and a soloist in Brahms' Requiem with MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall. (Bianca e Falliero marks the fourth time Daniel Mobbs has performed a Rossini opera with Vivica Geneaux!) The summer will see Mobbs as Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Caramoor International Music Festival.

In 2007 he returned to New York City Opera as Leporello in Don Giovanni,, as Douglas in La Donna del Lago and as Marcello in La Bohème. In addition, Mobbs sang in the Rossini Otello with Opera Orchestra of New York. He sang the role of Marcello in La Bohème, for the second time this season with New Orleans Opera. He also appeared as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Connecticut Grand Opera. He made his Florida Grand Opera debut in late 2007 as Alfonso in Così fan tutte. In the summer of 2007 Mobbs performed the role of Togod in the American Premiere of Pascal Dusapin's Faustus, the Last Night, as well as the role of Ferrando in Il Trovatore and a soloist in Rossini's Petite Messe de Solenelle, at Caramoor.

As Marcello in La Bohème, New Orleans Opera

Mr. Mobbs began his 2005-06 season at NYCO as Lord Sydney in Il Viaggio a Reims, and continued with Opera Grand Rapids as Ping in Turandot and Carnegie Hall where he sang Frederick in Lakmé with Opera Orchestra of New York. He also sang his first Leporello in Don Giovanni with Portland Opera and Taddeo to Vivica Genaux's Isabella in L'Italiana in Algeri with Anchorage Opera. Additional engagements included Raphael/Adam in Haydn's Creation with Huntsville Symphony and Giorgio in I Puritani, and Orbazzano to Ewa Podles' Tancredi with Caramoor International Music Festival. The season was brought to a close with a return to NYCO where he sang Marcello in La Bohème and OONY where he sang the role of Elmiro in Rossini's Otello.

His 2004-05 season included his debut with Portland Opera as Lord Sydney in Il Viaggo a Reims, while continuing his relationship with the Met for Butterfly, Barbiere and the new production of Cyrano, Opera Grand Rapids for Bohème and Caramoor International Music Festival opposite Sumi Jo as Rodolfo in La Sonnambula. He also sang with Eve Queler's Opera Orchestra of New York as Jake Wallace in La Fanciulla del West and in Der Freischutz, and with the New York Festival of Song in an evening of songs by opera composers. Previously, he has sung Lakmé with Baltimore Opera, Martinu's Les Larmes du Couteau for the Henry Street Settlement and at NYCO as Marcello in La Bohème. He also made his Carnegie Hall debut singing Finzi's In terra pax with the New York Choral Society. Mr. Mobbs made his Met debut in the 2003-04 season as Cascada in performances of The Merry Widow followed by Yamadori in Madama Butterfly.

Mr. Mobbs has also enjoyed a long relationship with the Caramoor International Music Festival. In recent seasons he has been seen as Lycomedes in Handel's Deidamia, in the American premiere of Donizetti's Elisabetta, Ernesto in Il Pirata, Elmiro in Rossini's Otello, Lodovico in Verdi's Otello and recitals entitled Shakespeare's Songs and Love, Death, Heaven and Hell.

Past performances included Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with NYCO, Kentucky Opera, Arizona Opera, the Spier Festival in South Africa and Baltimore Opera (here he also sang Dandini in Cenerentola) and Turandot with the Washington Opera and Pittsburgh Opera, Gluck's La Rencontre Imprevue with L'Opéra Français de New York, Minnesota Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and New Orleans Opera as Ping in Turandot and Brétigny in Manon. He's also appeared in Bohème with Arizona, Knoxville, Idaho, Cincinnati, and Opera Grand Rapids and as Adonis in John Blow's Venus and Adonis for Der Vlaamse Oper in Antwerp. Other credits include Taddeo in L'Italiana in Algeri, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and Ping with New York City Opera; Papageno with Washington Opera; Dominik in Arabella with Santa Fe Opera; Escamillo and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Baltimore; Valentin in Faust with Grand Rapids; Danilo in The Merry Widow with Shreveport Opera; Belcore in L'Elisir d'Amore with Kentucky Opera; and Sid in Albert Herring with both Cleveland Opera and Kentucky Opera.

Orchestral credits include the Fauré Requiem with the Pacific Symphony; Carmina Burana with the symphonies of Kalamazoo, Nashville, Knoxville and Grand Rapids, The Messiah with Chattanooga Symphony, and Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Nashville Symphony.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, his awards include first place in both the College Division of the MacAllister Awards and the Mario Lanza Scholarship. He is a winner of the Sullivan Foundation Award and also a recipient of a grant from the Puccini Foundation. In 2008, New York City Opera awarded him the Kolozsvar Award, recognizing his "memorable performance of multiple roles [in the Mark Morris production of Purcell's] King Arthur." He is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts.