About
American-born James Ley is a graduate of the Opera Studies programme at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School, and a finalist of the 2022 Operalia Competition. He has been praised for his ‘pure tone and innocent expressiveness’ (operawire.com) and for his ‘lovely legato line and silvery tenor’ (seenandheard-international.com).
In the 2024/25 season, James Ley joins the ensemble at Semperoper Dresden where he sings Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) under Giulio Cilona, Baron Lummer in Axel Ranisch’s new production of Intermezzo led by Patrick Hahn, Arturo (Lucia di Lammermoor) under Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, and Jonathan in Claus Guth's production of Saul under Leo Hussain. Ley reunites with Les Musiciens du Louvre for a concert performance of Ferrando (Così fan tutte) with Marc Minkowski at Theatre des Champs-Elysées, reprises the role of Váňa Kudrjaš in Krzysztof Warlikowski’s production of Káťa Kabanová at Bayerische Staatsoper under MirgaGražinytė-Tyla, and makes his Canadian debut in Handel's Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Jean-Sébastien Vallée.
James Ley’s previous seasons’ highlights include debuts asKudrjas in Katya Kabanova for Bergen National Opera conducted by Jiří Rožeň, Scriabin’s Symphony No. 1 with Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi andwith Orquesta y Coro de la Communidad de Madrid under Marzena Diakun, Handel’s Messiah with Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director Courtney Lewisand at Wheaton College, Bruckner’s Te Deum with Atlanta Symphony under Nathalie Stutzmann, and Britten’s Nocturnewith Aarhus Symphony Orchestra under Christoph Koncz.
The 2022/23 season began with Ley’s debut at the Edinburgh International Festival as the Second Nazarene in Salome with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner, set for commercial release by Chandos Records, and a return to Ferrando in Cosí fan tutte in a special production of the Da Ponte Trilogy with Les Musiciens du Louvre and Marc Minkowski for performances and a recording in Versailles. The season continued with his debut as Vaudémont in David Bösch’s new production of Iolanta at Oper Bern, led by Chief Conductor Nicholas Carter, with further performances at Salzburger Landestheater in Thomas Mika’s production of Iolanta, led by Leslie Suganandarajah.
The 2021/22 season included important house debuts: at Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona and Opéra National de Bordeaux as Ferrando with Les Musiciens du Louvre under Marc Minkowski. On the concert stage, he debuted with Opéra de Limoges in Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 and with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk in Mendelssohn’s Elias.
Further performing experience to date includes the world premiere of Marius Felix Lange’s Der Gesang der Zauberinselat 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 Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. In concert, James has performed Handel’s Messiah at Wheaton College, as well as excerpts from Schubert’s Winterreise with Brian Zeger at Alice Tully Hall as part of Juilliard Songfest.
James Ley has appeared in Masterclass with Yannick Nézet-Séguin as well as in Carnegie Hall’s SongStudio, with guest teachers including Renée Fleming. He enjoyed several summers at the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie, and James participated in the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence Académie, the Salzburg Young Artist Project, and the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie. For the 2020/21 season he was a member of the Opernstudio of BayerischeStaatsoper Munich as the recipient of an Opera Foundation scholarship, where he sang the Messenger in Aida under Zubin Mehta as part of the Munich Opera Festival.
2024/25 season only. Please contact HarrisonParrott if you wish to edit this biography.
Reviews
Così fan tutte at The Juilliard School
“It might be difficult to empathize with any of the men in this opera, but if it were possible to feel sad about how the young men destroyed so much along the way, both for the women and for themselves, this single message alone could be heard most clearly when tenor James Ley sang “Tradito, schernito.” 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. He was like a lamb is to a heartless wolf that is reminiscent of Mozart’s music when paired with Da Ponte’s libretto.”
Don Giovanni at The Juilliard School
“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.”