James hails from Southwell, Nottinghamshire where he began his musical pursuits as a cathedral chorister. His current teacher is Benjamin Williamson, and has previously studied with Adrian Thompson, Susan Waters, and Russell Smythe.James is a graduate of the Artist Masters programme at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he was supported by a Leverhulme Scholarship and the Chizel Education Trust. Highlights included a cross-arts performance of Schubert’s “Schwanengesang” with Iain Burnside, and being chosen by Graham Johnson to perform in a recital with the Song Guild.

This summer James will be singing as Nemorino for the first time in a production of L’elisir d’amore with Scherzo Ensemble at Longhope Opera. His other operatic performances include: ‘Madwoman’ Britten Curlew River, ‘Tobias’ Dove Tobias and the Angel, ‘Male Chorus’ Britten The Rape of Lucretia, ‘Box’ Sullivan Cox and Box. As an oratorio soloist: Haydn “Creation”, Bach “St John Passion”, Rossini “Messe Solennelle”, and Handel “Messiah” with the Britten Sinfonia.  James also took part in the 2020-21 Nevill Holt Young Artist programme. He sang Mordocai in HGO’s March 2022 UK premiere of Lidarti’s 1774 oratorio, Ester.

Once a member of the choir, James runs the Marketing and Communications for the Choir of St . John’s College, Cambridge. He manages the college’s award-winning label with Signum Classics, and in 2018 he directed the filming of the first video live-streamed Evensong in collaboration with Classic FM. In January, James project managed and coordinated the release of an album of Schubert’s “Die Schöne Müllerin”, recorded by Iestyn Davies and Joseph Middleton.