A winner of the Sullivan Foundation Award and graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts, native Kentuckian Daniel Mobbs has performed with many of the great American Opera Houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Philadelphia, Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, and Los Angeles Opera.
The bass-baritone begins his 2022-23 season during the summer of 2022, singing Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd and Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Saratoga. He then returns to the University of Portland, where he is an Adjunct Instructor in Voice, before joining the Portland Symphony in concert.
During the COVID-19 impacted 2020-2021 season, the bass-baritone’s engagements included Angelotti and The Jailer in Portland Opera’s production of Tosca (cancelled), as well as appearances in Portland Baroque Orchestra’s digital presentation of Handel’s Messiah, and Portland Opera’s digital presentation of An Evening with Portland Opera.
Mr. Mobbs has enjoyed a long relationship with the Caramoor International Music Festival, where performances have included the title role in Guillaume Tell, Assur in Semiramide, Oroveso in Norma, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Lycomedes in Handel’s Deidamia, 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. He is also a regular fixture with Portland Opera, where he has sung Baron Douphol in La traviata, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, Alidoro in La cenerentola and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro.
Past operatic highlights include Kromow in The Merry Widow with the Metropolitan Opera where he has also been seen as Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly; Alidoro in La cenerentola with Minnesota Opera, where he has also sung Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte; Leporello in Don Giovanni with Virginia Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and New Orleans Opera; Baron Douphol in La traviata with Los Angeles Opera; Andrew Borden in Lizzie Borden with the Tanglewood Festival and Boston Lyric Opera, where he has also been seen as Escamillo in Carmen; and the title role in Guillaume Tell with National Opera (Warsaw). His many appearances with Opera Philadelphia include Baron Douphol in La traviata, Orbazzano in Tancredi, Geronte in Manon Lescaut, Capulet in Romeo et Juliette, and Angelotti in Tosca. He has also enjoyed a continuing relationship with New York City Opera, where he has been seen as Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Ping in Turandot, Ormonte in Partenope, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Baritone #1 (the Cold Genius of Winter) in Purcell’s King Arthur. He has bowed with Washington National Opera as Papageno in The Magic Flute and in their production of Turandot; as Assur in Semiramide with Opera Delaware and Baltimore Opera; Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Palm Beach Opera and Lyric Opera Baltimore; Escamillo in Peter Brooks’ La tragédie de Carmen with Opera Memphis; Don Pedro in L’Africaine with Opera Orchestra of New York; Dominik in Arabella with Santa Fe Opera; Sid in Albert Herring with Cleveland Opera and Kentucky Opera, where he has also been seen as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Music Master in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, a role he has also sung with Arizona Opera, Baltimore Opera, and the Spier Festival in South Afrika.
Orchestral credits include the Fauré Requiem with the Pacific Symphony; Verdi’s Requiem with Symphoria and the Bryan Symphony Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem with the New York Choral Society and Oklahoma Mozart Festival; Carmina Burana with the symphonies of Kalamazoo, Nashville, Knoxville and Grand Rapids; The Messiah with Portland Baroque Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Chattanooga Symphony; and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, and Carnegie Hall.
