{{BLP citations needed|date=March 2025}} {{Short description|British musician (born 1990)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}} {{Use British English|date=August 2012}} {{Infobox musical artist | background = | honorific_prefix = | name = Alex Stobbs | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = yes | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = Alexander Brett Stobbs | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1990|01|30|df=yes}} | birth_place = Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, United Kingdom | origin = | death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} | death_place = | genre = | occupation = Conductor and musician | instrument = | discography = | years_active = 2009-present | label = | current_member_of = | past_member_of = | spouse = | partner = | website = | module = | module2 = | module3 = }}
'''Alexander Brett Stobbs''' (born 30 January 1990 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England) is a British musician. He was featured in the Channel 4 documentary series "Cutting Edge" (TV series) in the episodes ''A Boy Called Alex''<ref name=":1">RCM 6 July 2018 Graduation Ceremony Programme</ref> (2008) and ''Alex: A Passion for Life''<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Stobbs |first=Alex |date=2022-12-22 |title=A wonder drug has given me back my musical career – and my life |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/wonder-drug-has-given-back-musical-career-life/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> (2009). Stobbs has cystic fibrosis, a condition that was documented in both films.
==Early life== After completing his academic and musical studies at Stoke Brunswick, Stobbs joined the Choir of King's College, Cambridge.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} During his time as a chorister, he participated in a recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's ''Magnificat'' with King's College for EMI, a piece he would later conduct. He also studied music as a choral scholar at King's College.
On 5 April 2009, he conducted Bach's ''St Matthew Passion'' at Cadogan Hall in London, featuring the Rodolfus Choir and Southbank Sinfonia. Stobbs took early inspiration from the works of Walter de la Mare and British novelist J. K. Rowling.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} He continued his music education as a scholar at Eton College, where he conducted Bach's ''Magnificat'' in March 2007.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
In September 2009, he published ''A Passion for Living'', a diary detailing his experiences during his A-levels and his preparation for performing Bach's ''St Matthew Passion''. In July 2018, Stobbs received third prize in the Joan Chissell Schumann Prize for Piano at the Royal College of Music.<ref name=":1" />
==Documentaries== Stobbs has been featured in two television documentaries. Both were directed by Paddy Wivell, produced by Walker George Films, and were broadcast on Channel 4.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
The first, ''A Boy Called Alex'',<ref name=":2" /> followed Alex's efforts to conduct Bach's ''Magnificat'' while living with cystic fibrosis.<ref>{{cite web |title=Archived item |url=http://stobbs-matthewpassion.co.uk/the-project/a-boy-called-alex |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416130243/http://stobbs-matthewpassion.co.uk/the-project/a-boy-called-alex |archivedate=16 April 2009 |accessdate=2011-12-23 |df=dmy}}</ref> It aired in 2008 and received a BAFTA nomination in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Television Awards Winners in 2009 - Television - Awards - the BAFTA site |url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/tv-noms-2009,709,BA.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121045935/http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/tv-noms-2009,709,BA.html |archive-date=21 November 2010 |access-date=17 September 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
The second documentary, titled ''Alex: A Passion for Life'', was broadcast in October 2009. It documented Stobbs' first year at King's College, Cambridge, as he prepared to conduct Bach's ''St Matthew Passion'' with a full orchestra in the Cadogan Hall, highlighting his experiences with cystic fibrosis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alex: A Passion for Life |url=http://stobbs-matthewpassion.co.uk/the-project/alex-a-passion-for-life |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927090130/http://stobbs-matthewpassion.co.uk/the-project/alex-a-passion-for-life |archive-date=27 September 2009 |access-date=17 September 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last1=Stobbs |first1=Alex |date=22 December 2022 |title=A wonder drug has given me back my musical career – and my life |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/wonder-drug-has-given-back-musical-career-life/ |access-date=15 December 2023 |newspaper=The Telegraph |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
He appeared on the UK talk show ''Richard & Judy'' in January 2008, performing Rachmaninov's Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32/12.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.facebook.com/alexstobbs Alex's Official Facebook Fanpage] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090104100733/http://www.evewhite.co.uk/new/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,flypage_AD_la/product_id,92/category_id,41/manufacturer_id,11/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,41/ ''A Passion for Living''] Literary Agent Listing *[https://archive.today/20130505065221/http://stobbs-matthewpassion.co.uk/ The Matthew Passion Project Website] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090912000936/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/6140021/Alex-Stobbs-Singing-from-his-own-hymn-sheet.html ''Alex Stobbs: Singing from his own hymn sheet''] The Telegraph, 7 September 2009 *[http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_features/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=384203 ''The Passion of Alex'']{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Cambridge News article, 24 January 2009 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080723235432/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article3166508.ece ''The privilege of educating Alex''] Times Online article, 11 January 2008 *[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1177981/ "Cutting Edge" A Boy Called Alex (2008)] *[http://www.channel4.com/video/cutting-edge-a-boy-called-alex/index.html Cutting Edge: A Boy Called Alex] Free Video Clips from Channel 4
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stobbs, Alex}} Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:British classical musicians Category:People from Royal Tunbridge Wells Category:British male conductors (music) Category:People educated at Eton College Category:Bach conductors Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Category:21st-century British conductors (music) Category:People with cystic fibrosis Category:British musicians with disabilities