+++
author = ["authors/greg.md"]
categories = "Interview"
date = "2016-06-07T10:01:00+01:00"
lastmod = "2016-06-07T13:14:00+01:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1465290895929/2016-06-07---Giles.jpg.jpg"
primary_image_credit = "Photo: Helen Tansey"
publishDate = "2016-06-07T13:06:00+01:00"
related_companies = ["scene/companies/canadian-childrens-opera-company.md"]
related_people = ["scene/people/giles-tomkins.md","scene/people/dean-burry.md"]
short_description = "&quot;The most fun is almost being a kid again. I grew up in choirs, not the CCOC, but it&#039;s kind of instilling this love of mythology and magic. I know it sounds corny but working with kids just bring such an energy to the rehearsal room. They bring a particular enthusiasm to the work which is infectious. You really find yourself becoming a kid again and re-instilling that love of theatre and stage.&quot;"
slug = "standing-out-giles-tomkins-joins-the-ccoc-for-the-hobbit"
title = "Standing out: Giles Tomkins joins the CCOC for The Hobbit"
+++

One of the best things that's happening with the first-ever Toronto Festival of Children's Opera is that the young, up-and-coming singers are getting the chance to see full professional productions, and work with the best in the business. 

One such example is bass-baritone [Giles Tomkins](/scene/people/giles-tomkins/), who joins the ranks of the young, impressive forces of the [Canadian Children's Opera Company](/scene/people/canadian-childrens-opera-company/) to play Gandalf the Grey and Smaug the Dragon in Dean Burry's treatment of the Tolkien classic, [*The Hobbit*](/over-the-misty-mountains-the-ccoc-on-the-hobbit/). 

I caught up with him on Saturday on break from his rehearsal for a little catch-up. 

## How did you get involved in this production with Canadian Children's Opera Company?

**Giles**: It was through Dean Burry. We've worked on a number of his projects together. He told me first about it when I was out in Baddeck, NS, working on *The Bells of Baddeck* that he wrote. He mentioned they were remounting his Hobbit here and he asked if I would be interested in Gandalf/Smaug. My jaw hit the floor and I said "Are you serious? Who wouldn't want to be Gandalf?" So that's kind of where it started. 

## What's been the most fun, and what's been the most challenging part of working with this amount of children?

**Giles**: The most fun is almost being a kid again. I grew up in choirs, not the CCOC, but it's kind of instilling this love of mythology and magic. I know it sounds corny but working with kids just bring such an energy to the rehearsal room. They bring a particular enthusiasm to the work which is infectious. You really find yourself becoming a kid again and re-instilling that love of theatre and stage. 

## You play Gandalf and Smaug; do you have a specific process to separate these two characters from each other?

**Giles**: I also play old Bilbo Baggins at his birthday party. I think it was easier to separate Smaug because I'm just the voice of him. With Smaug I can manipulate the sounds to create all the great things that he is. Gandalf is much more rich and noble, but old Bilbo is much lighter and quicker - so this show has quite a few challenges for me. 

## Do you have a favourite part of the show?

**Giles**: I love doing the voice of Smaug, it's really fun. I also love singing the aria. It's just a lovely, gentle, thought-provoking piece that Tolkien set out and I think Dean captured that quite well. He just creates beautiful lines to sing. 

## Are you a Tolkien fan yourself? 

**Giles**: Oh yeah. I grew up with the books and of course devoured the trilogies when they came out, so this is totally a dream come true for me. 

## What's next for you?

**Giles**: Another Dean Burry show! I head back to Cape Breton Island for another run of *The Bells of Baddeck*. We literally close *The Hobbit* on Sunday and on Monday I'll be flying out there. 

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1465291556659/2016-06-07---Giles-Hobbit.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>The CCOC rehearses The Hobbit with Giles Tomkins. Photo: Gregory Finney.</figcaption>
</figure>

I've had the pleasure of both seeing Giles perform and working with him onstage on a number of occasions, and trust me, you'll enjoy every minute of this production. Performances run June 9-12, and you can get [tickets here](http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/whatson/theatre.cfm?id=8109&festival_id=0). Tell them I sent you! 
