Artists

James Newby is currently a BBC New Generation Artist, an Ensemble member of Staatsoper Hannover and a former Rising Star for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He is a recipient of the Richard Tauber Prize (for best interpretation of a Schubert Lied) and overall Third Prize at the 2015 Wigmore Hall/Kohn International Song Competition, the 2016 Kathleen Ferrier Award, the 2016 Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera Voice Fellowship and in 2017 he received Glyndebourne’s prestigious John Christie Award.

James enjoys a busy schedule as a recitalist with regular appearances at Wigmore Hall, Leeds and Oxford Lieder Festivals and on the BBC. The release of his debut solo CD Wonder as I Wander on BIS Records in 2020 with pianist Joseph Middleton has attracted worldwide acclaim and has been described as “a significant release and one not to be missed” (Opera Today, March 2021).

In September 2019 James joined the Ensemble of the Staatsoper Hannover where in 2021 he garnered particular praise for his performance of Eddy in Mark Turnage’s Greek. This season in Hannover he sings Guglielmo Così fan tutte; Eddy in Turnage Greek; and the title role in Eugene Onegin.

Elsewhere he sings Die Schöne Müllerin at Wigmore Hall with Simon Lepper; a Baroque programme with Arcangelo and Jonathan Cohen; and makes his debut with both Britten Sinfonia in Handel Messiah and BBC National Orchestra of Wales St Matthew Passion. His 2022/23 season will feature a series of recitals at major concert halls throughout Europe as part of his involvement with the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) ‘Rising Stars’ Programme.

Previous operatic appearances have included Count Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro for Nevill Holt Opera, Christus in a staged Bach St John Passion with the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, directed by Calixto Bieito and Howard Moody’s PUSH for Glyndebourne and in his debut at La Monnaie Brussels.

On the concert platform James has sung Berlioz with BBC Symphony Orchestra, Purcell with Gabrieli Consort and Bach with La Nuova Musica and RTE National Symphony Orchestra.  He has also sung Christus in the world premiere of Sally Beamish The Judas Passion; the role of Apollo in Handel Apollo e Dafne under Jonathan Cohen; St Matthew Passion with John Butt and various Bach Cantatas as part of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s Bach, the Universe and Everything series at Kings Place, London.

He recently made his debut with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century in Handel Messiah and with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under Juanjo Mena as part of the Cincinnati May Festival.

James studies with Robert Dean.

August 2021