

James Ley
Shirley Thomson
Zoe Band
Peppie Johnson
“His voice was projected with ease that allowed it to blossom into an array of beautiful overtones.”
(operawire.com)
American-born James Ley is a graduate of the Opera Studies programme at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School, a former member of both the Salzburg Young Artist Project and the Opernstudio at Bayerische Staatsoper and a finalist of the 2022 Operalia Competition.
James Ley’s recent seasons have included Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre at Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Opéra National de Bordeaux and at Château de Versailles, his début as Vaudémont in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta in a new production at Oper Bern, led by Chief Conductor Nicholas Carter, and the same role at Salzburger Landestheater. Returning to Bayerische Staatsoper as a guest artist, Ley sang the Messenger in Aida under Daniele Rustioni as part of the Munich Opera Festival and at the Edinburgh International Festival he joined Ed Gardner and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra as Second Nazarene in Salome, set for commercial release on Chandos Records.
As a young artist, Ley participated in the Académie of Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and spent several summers at Edith Wiens’ Internationale Meistersinger Akademie. During his time in Munich’s Opernstudio, he sang the Messenger in Aida under Zubin Mehta and his further performing experience includes the world premiere of Marius Felix Lange’s Der Gesang der Zauberinsel at Salzburg Festival, Le petit vieillard in L’enfant et les sortilèges with the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Emmanuel Villaume and, at Wheaton College, Abraham in a staged production of Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac and his first Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.
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The 2023/24 season for James Ley includes a debut in the role of Kudrjas in Janacek’s Katya Kabanova at Bergen National Opera conducted by Eivind Gullberg Jensen and, on the concert platform, he performs Scriabin’s Symphony No.1 with both Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi and Orquesta y Coro de la Communidad de Madrid under Marzena Diakun, Bruckner’s Te Deum with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Nathalie Stutzmann, Britten’s Nocturne with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra under Christoph Koncz and Handel’s Messiah at Wheaton College.
Previous concert performances include Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 at Opéra de Limoges and Mendelssohn’s Elias with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk. In recital, James Ley has performed excerpts from Schubert’s Winterreise with Brian Zeger at Alice Tully Hall as part of Juilliard Songfest and participated in Carnegie Hall’s SongStudio with Renée Fleming.
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“James Ley as Vaudémont provides goosebump moments.”
“The up-and-coming tenor James Ley as Vaudémont sings with brilliant melodic line.”
“The American tenor James Ley sings the difficult passages from Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito with such strikingly impressive colours, so agile and above all so pleasant that the last prominent mention is reserved for him.”
“Ley was the perfect match for this role as he sang Ferrando with playfulness and a young heart. His voice drew in listeners based on its pure tone and innocent expressiveness.”
“Don Ottavio, James Ley, was more convincing as an ardent lover than an earnest suitor. Although he can spin out lovely legato lines with his silvery tenor, the voice was truly exciting when it bristled with energy and passion.”
“Ley was most memorable as he sang ‘Dalla sua pace.’ His voice was projected with ease that allowed it to blossom into an array of beautiful overtones.”