Thomas James Edmonds (born 1934) is an Australian operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

. One of six children, Edmonds was born to

tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a farmer or farmworker who resides and works on land owned by a landlord, while tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and ma ...

s outside Peterborough, South Australia. He graduated from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

and the Adelaide Teachers College with a Diploma of Teaching and Education and a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

. In 1961 he became a foundation member of the staff of

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

, and in 1965, he was appointed deputy headmaster of the school. Edmonds began his singing studies in Australia in 1960 and, in 1970, he continued both singing and education studies in England and Europe. An internationally renowned opera singer, he has appeared in

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

s and many

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, including

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

operas ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'' (as "Don Ottavio"), and ''

The Abduction From the Seraglio ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (as "Belmonte"), amongst others. He also appeared in

State Opera of South Australia State Opera South Australia (SOSA) is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976. History State Opera South Australia was established in 1976 as a statutory corporation under the ''State Opera of South Au ...

production of the

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

opera ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, and ran for 571 performances, w ...

'' as Ralph Rackstraw, alongside Dennis Olsen and

Judith Henley Judith Henley is an Australian soprano opera singer. Biography In 1981 she played Violetta in the Victorian State Opera's production of Verdi's '' La traviata'', then reprised her role in the Australian Opera's production in December 1985, in ...

. The production was broadcast throughout Australia as a simultaneous television and stereo radio broadcast, by the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

. Edmonds has sung in opera at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

and the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

and has appeared with the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as well as appearing in concert in the UK and Europe. Edmonds won eight successive grand finals of Independent Television System's (now Network 10) talent show ''Showcase'', beginning with ''Showcase 68'', in which he won both the judges' vote and the television viewers' vote. Edmonds won the

Shell Aria The Shell Aria, originally Shell Open Aria, contest was an Australian vocal competition for young classical opera singers, held annually in Canberra from 1955 to 1986, named for and sponsored by, Shell Australia in conjunction with the Australia ...

contest, run in conjunction with the 1969 Australian National Eisteddfod, Canberra after two years' contention as runner-up. Edmonds received a Medal of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(OAM) in 1982 and was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours. He was one of the judges at the 51st Adelaide Eisteddfod in April 2006."Thomas Edmonds sings Covent Garden after sweeping Australian TV's Showcase finals for eight years in a row"
adelaideaz.com Taking its title from an aria in Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'', Edmonds traced his life in his 2024 memoir ''Ev'ry Valley – A Tenor's Journey''. Edmonds is married to

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

Elizabeth Campbell; the couple live in

Mount Barker, South Australia Mount Barker is a city in South Australia. Located approximately 33 kilometres (21 miles) from the Adelaide city centre, it is home to 21,554 residents (2021). It is the seat of the District Council of Mount Barker, the largest town in the Adela ...

Recordings

Thomas Edmonds recordings with

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

includes: * ''The Voice of Thomas Edmonds'' * ''Wonderful Day, with Thomas Edmonds'' * ''Thomas Edmonds on Tour'' * ''Songs of the Open Road'' * ''Remember with Thomas Edmonds'' * ''Thomas Edmonds Sings Opera'' * ''Serenade in Italy'' * ''Thomas Edmonds Sings Songs of Faith'' * ''By Request'' * ''Gilbert & Sullivan Highlights''

References

External links

* *
"Thomas Edmonds and ''H.M.S. Pinafore''"
Gilbert and Sullivan discography and review about the State Opera of South Australia's production of the opera

Gilbert and Sullivan highlights compact disc information

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmonds, Thomas Australian operatic tenors Musicians from Adelaide Living people 1934 births 20th-century Australian male singers Members of the Order of Australia