Julia Tobiska (mezzo-soprano) has been hailed by the Denver Post as having “a bright future ahead of her” as a “mature, technically secure singer with an instinctive feel for acting.” This summer, Ms. Tobiska is thrilled to be working with Central City Opera as an Apprentice Artist, singing the role of Junon in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, The Mother in Madama Butterfly, and covering Madeline Mitchell in Jake Heggie's Three Decembers.  Most recently she joined Opera Colorado as a Young Artist for the 2009-2010 season where she performed the roles of Rosina in the student matinee performance of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia and toured across Colorado and the greater Denver-metro area singing the roles of The Wife in Wargo's The Music Shop, and Stephano in Gonoud's Romeo et Juliette.  In the coming year, Ms. Tobiska is happy to have been asked to return for a second season with Opera Colorado to perform Tisbe in the company's season closer, Rossini's La Cenerentola.  In addition, she will cover as well as perform in the student matinee the role of Angelina in the same production.  This year's touring productions will afford her the opportunity to sing Hansel in Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel and reprise the role of Stephano in a new, adapted version of Romeo et Juliette, which she will also assistant direct.

A native of Washington State, Ms. Tobiska received her undergraduate degree from Western Washington University and her Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. During her graduate studies she had the wonderful opportunity of portraying Sister Helen Prejean in the educational and Rocky Mountain Regional premiere of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. She was also seen as Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Dritte Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and the Somewhere Soloist in Bernstein’s West Side Story.

Following graduate school, Ms. Tobiska is happy to have been engaged by a variety of companies across the United States.  In February of 2009 she portrayed Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with The Opera Company of North Carolina.  In the fall of 2008, as part of the Mary Ragland Young Artists Program, she was seen with Nashville Opera as Princess Stephanie in Romberg’s The Student Prince and The Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors.  Also, In line with her passion for new opera, she has been lucky enough to work as a Singer in Residence for three consecutive seasons (2007-2009) at the Virginia Arts Festival's John Duffy Composer's Institute where she has performed an array of new works by up-and-coming composers. 
 

Comfortable in other theatrical mediums, Ms. Tobiska has also been seen performing with such diverse production companies as Colorado Light Opera, The Boulder Fringe Festival, and the Firehouse Performing Arts Center in Washington.  Musical theatre credits include roles such as The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, Hedy LaRue in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Petra in A Little Night Music, Bloody Mary in South Pacific and Antonia in Man of La Mancha and Alaura Kingsley and Carla Haywood in City of Angels.