Thomas Hemsley

Thomas Jeffrey Hemsley, CBE (12 April 192711 April 2013) was an English baritone.

Hemsley was born in Coalville, Leicestershire, and attended Ashby de la Zouch Grammar School. He took a degree in natural sciences from Brasenose College, Oxford. He moved to London and became a pupil of Lucie Manén, and also served as a Vicar Choral at St Paul's Cathedral. He made his debut in 1951 as Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at the first Mermaid Theatre, London, alongside Kirsten Flagstad as Dido. The pair recorded the opera for EMI the same year. He debuted at Glyndebourne in 1953. He was principal baritone at the Aachen Opera from 1953 to 1956, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein from 1956 to 1963, and the Zürich Opera from 1962 to 1967. which Hemsley sang there 1968 to 1970 and recording it under the baton of Rafael Kubelík. In the latter part of his career, he taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and also Dartington International Summer School.

Hemsley married Gwenllian James in 1960, and the couple had 3 sons. His widow and sons survive him.