James hails from Southwell, Nottinghamshire where he began his musical pursuits as a cathedral chorister. He 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.
James is looking forward to performing as ‘Nemorino’ in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore at Longhope Opera with the Scherzo Ensemble. Other recent operatic performances include: ‘Aeneas’ Dido & Aeneas, ‘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 (forthcoming), Handel Joshua as ‘Joshua’, UK premiere of Lidarti Ester, Bach St John Passion, Rossini Messe Solennelle, and Handel Messiah with the Britten Sinfonia. Opera scenes: ‘Tamino’ Die Zauberflöte, ‘Ferrando’ Così fan tutte, ‘Count Almaviva’ Il Barbiere di Siviglia. James also took part in the 2020-21 Nevill Holt Young Artist programme.
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.
Website: www.jamesbeddoe.com
