About

James Way is fast gaining international recognition for the versatility of his voice and commanding stage presence. His work spans a variety of music both as performer and artistic director. Having followed his initial passion for baroque music through the young artist programmes of Les Arts Florissants and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment he immediately became in demand as a soloist for conductors including William Christie, Rene Jacobs, Harry Bicket and Trevor Pinnock.

The versatility of his voice means he is equally comfortable in later repertoire and has a particular affinity for the music of Britten and Stravinsky. His performances include Flute in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Dalia Stasevska, The Son in Laurent Pelly's production of Les Mamelles de Tiresias (winner of Best New Opera Production at the 2022 Opera Awards) with Robin Ticciati both for Glyndebourne Festival, Holy Fool Boris Godunov with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Jakub Hrůša and Lechmere Owen Wingrave for Grange Park Opera, and a number of performances of Stravinsky Pulcinella with orchestras including the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic with Barbara Hannigan, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Sinfonica de Milano with Alpesh Chauhan OBE.

This coming season’s highlights include Handel’s La Resurrezione with Marc Minkowski, the Young King in George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence with Orchestre de Paris conducted by the composer, Acis & Galatea (Acis) and L’incoronazione di Poppea (Lucano) with Harry Bicket and the English Concert as well as a recital at the Oxford Lieder Festival with pianist Natalie Burch.

Recent performances include Zadok (Solomon) with Harry Bicket & the English Concert at Carnegie Hall, Lurcanio(Ariodante) with Il Pomo d’Oro, Bach St Matthew Passion with Les Talens Lyriques under Christophe Rousset and as the Evangelist with the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Peter Whelan. As artistic director he has led concerts including Schütz A Christmas Story and Handel 9 German Arias with Rachel Podger in a new English translation by Jeremy Sams at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

In demand as an interpreter of Handel, his performances of Messiah have won praise with orchestras internationally including Handel & Haydn Society Boston, Les Arts Florissants, Freiburger Barockorchester, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Dunedin Consort. His debut as Jupiter in Handel Semele at the Musikverein was the start in a long line of Handel roles including Samson (title role), Acis and Damon Acis & Galatea Tempo Il Trionfo del Tempo e Disinganno, Lurcanio (Ariodante) as well as tenor soloist in Israel in Egypt, Foundling Anthem and L’allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato.

James has a growing discography including Handel L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie and Stanford Requiem with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, on Hyperion, ‘Songs of Faith, Love and Nonsense,' a disk of Stanford songs recorded with Roderick Williams and Andrew West, Purcell's Fairy Queen with Gabrieli Consort, conducted by Paul McCreesh and King Arthur, which won BBC Music Magazine's Recording of the Year.

James is a former Britten-Pears Young Artist, he is also a laureate of William Christie’s Les Arts Florissants ‘Jardin des Voix’ and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s Rising Stars young artist programmes and was awarded an Independent Opera Voice Fellowship. He was the winner of the Second Prize in the 62nd Kathleen Ferrier Awards at Wigmore Hall. James was a choral scholar at King’s College London under the late David Trendell before studying with Susan Waters at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He continues his studies with Paul Farrington.

Aside from performing James enjoys in coaching other singers and helping other performers achieve their full potential. As one of only handful of non-clinicians ever, he recently completed a PgCert in Performing Arts Medicine at University College London allowing him explore performer health and psychology in greater depth - this was made possible through the support of a Royal Philharmonic Society Enterprise Award.