Alex Robinson - Osmin (Bully) Billy Goat
A childhood of singing in choirs left Alex with the conclusion that he wanted to become the next Michael Bublé, which led him to pursue singing lessons and being encouraged to audition for the chorus of Southern Opera’s production of Il Trovatore (2008). The experience was a revelation, kindling a passion for opera, and he soon became a regular fixture in the chorus, appearing in Southern Opera’s subsequent production of The Magic Flute (2009) and their in-concert staging of Aïda (2010).
While a life on stage was the dream, Alex continued his academic studies in accounting and tax, and after graduating from the University of Canterbury with a BCom (Hons) he has built a successful tax advisory career over the last 15 years working at the professional services firm Deloitte, where he is currently Director - Tax. Throughout this time, Alex has been undeterred in his belief that working in professional services can lead to a fulfilling career in opera, inspired by artists such as Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Jared Holt.
In 2014 Alex gained his LTCL (Singing) and won the Shoestring Opera Trophy at the Christchurch Singing Competitions for ‘Most Promising Canterbury Singer Under 30’, before heading to Adelaide in 2015 with his future wife, Katherine, to study voice with Patrick Power, ONZM.
In addition to singing with Southern Opera, Alex has been a regular chorus member in New Zealand Opera’s Christchurch productions, performing in their seasons of Don Giovanni, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, Trial By Jury, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Le Nozze di Figaro, Macbeth, Così fan tutte, and Le Comte Ory. He featured as a comprimario artist in Macbeth singing the role of First Apparition, and in Le Comte Ory singing the role of Robert. He also appeared as a soloist in New Zealand Opera’s 2020 Lazy Sundays concert in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
Alex has also been involved in a number of Christchurch vocal groups over the years, including the CSO Symphonic Chorus, The Opera Club, and Atlas Voices where he performed as baritone soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and also in the role of King Melchior in their 2018 production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. In late 2022 he sang as baritone soloist for the Christchurch City Choir’s Majesty concert at the Transitional ‘Cardboard’ Cathedral – a celebration of the life of Queen Elizabeth II, featuring Mozart’s Coronation Mass in C (K.317).
In Toi Toi Opera’s inaugural production, Suor Angelica & Elegies (2021) directed by Sara Brodie, Alex performed the role of a soldier-soloist, singing pieces from Butterworth’s ‘Six Songs from a Shropshire Lad’. In their 2022 A Barber & Bernstein Double Bill, directed by Matthew Kereama, he sang the principal roles of David in Barber’s A Hand of Bridge and Trio Baritone in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti. For Toi Toi Opera in 2024 he sang the roles of Papa Bear in John Davies’ Goldie B. Locks & the Three Singing Bears, and Frank in Die Fledermaus. He is looking forward to another busy musical year in 2025 - alongside Toi Toi Opera’s forthcoming productions, he is preparing C. V. Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet for an upcoming concert as featured baritone soloist with Philip Norman and the Risingholme Orchestra.