Josh Groban and Andrea Boccelli watch out: Toronto native Giles Tomkins is challenging their reign in the crossover pop/opera world. His debut solo album, And So It Goes, successfully blurs genres while refusing to compromise musical excellence. Not only does And So It Goes include original material from acclaimed film composer Christopher Dedrick and Juno-nominated songwriter and producer Trey Mills, it also features fresh interpretations of pop classics like “Norwegian Wood,” “And So It Goes,” and “Homeward Bound.” Tomkins’ magnetic baritone and impeccable performance standards attract crossover listeners and classical purists in equal droves. “To me a good pop song is just as legitimate as a good classical song, and it should be sung in the same manner,” Tomkins notes. “A good performer always tells the story.”

Tomkins’ own story is just as impressive as those told in the ten songs of And So It Goes. After receiving the 2005 Distinguished Graduate Award from the University of Toronto, Tomkins hasn’t looked back. He has sung alongside some of the most respected groups in Canadian classical music: The Canadian Opera Company, Opera In Concert, Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company, St. Lawrence String Quartet, and The Canadian Brass. Winner of the 2004 Great Lakes Regional Voice Competition and a finalist in the 2005 International Vocal Competition in Marmande, France, Tomkins has awed audiences both at home and abroad. In addition to playing Colline in the Scottish National Opera’s touring production of La Bohème, he has performed at the Linbury Theatre of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the prestigious Aldeburgh Festival, and the Tanglewood Music Centre under James Levine. Not bad for someone who decided to pursue a career in music after landing the lead in a high school production of Oklahoma!

Clearly, audiences are responding to Tomkins’ versatile talent. And So It Goes premiered as the top-selling classical disc from a Canadian vocalist on the Soundscan chart in May 2006 and became one of Amazon’s Top 15 Classical Bestsellers. “I've always wanted to record an album that truly reflected my diverse tastes in music,” Tomkins remarks, citing U2, Sarah McLachlan, and Spirit of the West alongside Bach, Mozart, and Brahms as musical influences. “Whether I'm singing about my dying lover in a Puccini opera aria or recalling a night spent with a Norwegian ‘bird’ in a Beatles tune, the listener has to be moved, otherwise there is no point in singing the song,” he declares. As anyone who listens to Tomkins cannot help but be moved, this end is nowhere in sight.