When you think of opera stars, you may think of Pavarotti or Dominguez. Yet, Woking’s very own James Cobb is aspiring to become the next big thing. From humble beginnings of weekly trumpet lessons at primary school, Cobb is now an emerging young tenor.
“I was inspired at first by the great singers, such as Domingo. I then learned of more current singers, such as Villazon. I was lucky enough to meet Rolando Villazon backstage after a performance of Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House. He has always been an inspiration. However, more recently, my singing teacher at the Royal College of Music has really motivated me, and I feel her guidance has been essential to my development as a vocalist.”
Following the completion of his A-Levels this summer, James has secured a job at St Paul’s Cathedral School in London, to be their music gap year student. During his time there, he hopes to be able to audition in conservatoires and secure a place there to study voice full time.
“I believe that my greatest achievement is coming runner-up in the AESS Catherine Lambert Recital Prize, which is a national competition. I was very pleased with my first attempt leading to success! Also, being a finalist in the Gordon Turner Prize at the Royal College of Music Junior Department was a momentous achievement, for which I am very proud of.”
James has appeared at the Woking Music Festival for 10 years, first with the trumpet, and now with his opera singing. He has won the Most Promising Young Singer Award for two years running, which James describes as being very flattering.
“Soirees at Breinton is a music performance charity in Surrey. This year, I sang for an audience of about 40, filling their concert room. I was one of four young performers that evening and I sang in two parts because singing 8 songs in a row is an incredibly physical demand. I felt that I sang well that evening and the audience were very receptive and I thought that there was a collective understanding of the songs emotionally.”
James dedicates every Saturday to going to the Junior Royal College of Music in London, to perfect his singing. He has lessons from 9am to 5:30pm, so it is an additional day of school! On top of this, James spends at least 45 minutes every day practising his vocals, whenever he has spare time. James states that his favourite opera is Mozart’s La Nozze di Figaro because he feels that it has everything and is a true classic of an opera.
“My ultimate goal is to be the best singer I can be. It requires a lot of work, which unfortunately people don’t understand anymore. To be a truly great opera singer it takes years of patience, dedication and loyalty to train hard and to train well vocally”
In an era where opera music appears to be slipping through our fingers, it is refreshing to see that exciting, fresh talent is still surfacing. James hopes to continue his training and events, so hopefully that will lead to performing on some big stages in the future.
By James Stonehouse, St George's College Weybridge
