high lyric tenor voice (he is actually a rare haute-contre or baroque tenor) is best suited to the baroque and bel canto operas of the 18th and early 19th centuries, such as those composed by Mozart and Rossini. His Mozart roles include Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tamino in The Magic Flute and Belmonte in The Abduction from the Seraglio. His Rossini roles include Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, Dorvil in La scala di seta and Florville in Il signor Bruschino. Many other roles have included Ernesto in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Nadir in Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, and a highly acclaimed Orphée in Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice, (the rarely performed 1774 Paris version for tenor). In 2008, he made his role debut as Nemorino in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore with the Victorian Opera, and created several roles in their world premiere season of Through the Looking Glass by Alan John. Hobson created the role of the Chevalier de Danceny in the San Francisco Opera world premiere of The Dangerous Liaisons by Conrad Susa, as well as the Architect in The Eighth Wonder by Alan John and Michael Chamberlain in Lindy by Moya Henderson for Opera Australia. In 2006, he sang the title role in a Perth International Arts Festival concert performance of Candide by Leonard Bernstein and received rave reviews. Just weeks later he had the honour of singing before Elizabeth II and many other distinguished guests, at a State Dinner in Canberra. Hobson is a much sought-after concert artist, frequently appearing in Musica Viva recitals, and oratorios such as Handel's Messiah, and Mendelssohn's Elijah, as well as opera galas, recitals and solo concerts, displaying both his extensive classical and lighter repertoires. Since 1991 he has been a regular performer at the outdoor Christmas concerts in either Sydney (Carols in the Domain) or Melbourne (Carols by Candlelight) and, more recently, has appeared regularly in Christmas at the House at the Sydney Opera House. In February 2008 he made his debut at the Leeuwin Estate Concert Series in Margaret River with Australian soprano Yvonne Kenny, and in March returned to Mildura with another regular partner, Marina Prior, to sing at the Opera by the Lock. Working around his opera, recording and TV commitments, Hobson performed a series of concerts between April and September, appearing in Melbourne