Biography…
Tom Hawkey-Soar is a Birmingham-based Tenor, currently studying for a Master’s in Performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with Christopher Turner. Winner of the St Clare Barfield Rosebowl for Operatic Distinction (2025), he is also a member of the National Opera Studio (NOS) Academy Programme, and is recognised for his versatility across opera, oratorio, and choral repertoire.
Recent operatic roles include: Pluton in Orphée aux enfers (Offenbach), rated Five Stars by OperaNow; Albert in Britten’s Albert Herring, a production hailed as “triumphant” by Opera Magazine; The Lover in Ethyl Smyth’s ‘FeteGalante’ (RBC) and again as a Cover for Pegasus Opera; Rev Horace Adams (Cover) in Britten’s PeterGrimes (BYO).
Scenes highlights include Fernando(Cosi fan Tutte)andTamino(Die Zauberflöte)both for the National Opera Studio; Pelléas in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, and Leukippos in Strauss’ Daphne. Other appearances include Faust (Faust), Idamante (Idomeneo), Falke (Die Fledermaus), and chorus in Jonathan Dove’s The Enchanted Pig at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
In and around Birmingham, he sings as a Tenor Lay Clerk at St Philip’s Cathedral and Rugby School, with additional engagements at St Chad’s Catholic Cathedral and the Oratory of St Philip Neri. He has performed professionally with ensembles including: The Oxford Camerata, The Armonico Consort, Canzonetta Chamber Choir, and the CBSO Chorus in a professional capacity, as well as the award-winning Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir.
He is an Ex Cathedra Enhanced Scholar for the 2025/26 season, having been a Student Scholar for the previous two years.
As a soloist, Tom has performed as soloist in major works including: Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Brecon Choral Festival); Bach’s St John Passion at Birmingham Symphony Hall (Ex Cathedra); Handel’s Messiah (Northampton Bach Choir), Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Mozart’s Reqiuem.
He was fortunate to perform the world premiere of Philip Sawyers’ Mayflower on the Sea of Time with the English Symphony Orchestra at Worcester Cathedral, and in the UK premiere of John Luther Adams’ Vespers of the Blessed Earth with the CBSO at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.
As a conductor, Tom enjoys a growing involvement in Opera, both as a performer and from the podium. He conducted a new production of Gina Carlo Menotti’s ‘The Old Maid and the Thief’ at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, which transferred to the Mayfield Festival. He has worked as Assistant Conductor to Harry Sever for Dido and Aeneas (Purcell), and Anthony Kraus for Into the Woods (Sondheim). Plans for next season include performances of Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti and Donizetti’s Rita.
He served as Director of Music at St Dunstan’s, Mayfield - home to the renowned Mayfield Festival of Music and the Arts. A keen advocate for community music, he has worked with The People’s Orchestra, leading rehearsals for their outreach show choirs around Birmingham. Tom brings his experience as a singer into his conducting, a perspective that gives him a valuable advantage in fostering empathetic, musically informed collaboration with performers on stage. He previously received lessons from Julian Wilkins (CBSO Associate Chorus Director).
Tom began singing at the age of seven as a chorister in Sussex. He studies with Christopher Turner at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where he studies on the MMus (Performance) Course, kindly supported by the Josephine Baker Trust, the Lamport Hall Trust and the generosity of Ms A. Dixon.
Tom graduated First Class with a BMus(Hons) in Vocal Performance from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2025. He has been fortunate to receive coaching and masterclass experience from artists including Nicky Spence, Sir Thomas Allen, James Gilchrist, Luís Gomes and John Graham-Hall.
When not singing, he can usually be found in the kitchen, on the squash court, or admiring modernist architecture while attempting to look inconspicuous.
Upcoming engagements include his role debut as Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress with British Youth Opera; soloist with Northampton Bach Choir in Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle; and as Assistant Conductor for Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at RBC.