James Harrison

James Harrison graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland, New Zealand; and after a year as an Emerging Artist with NBR New Zealand Opera, studied with Margaret Kingsley at the Royal College of Music where he won the prestigious Lies Askonas Prize, the McCulloch Prize for Opera and a special Director’s Prize. James went on to the National Opera Studio, where his studies were supported by British American Tobacco. On the concert platform James has sung with Sir David Wilcocks (Messiah) at the Royal Albert Hall; the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge (Creation) also at the Royal Albert Hall; the Classical Opera Company at the Barbican; and Peter Schreier (Weihnachts Oratorium) at St John’s Smith Square. His operatic roles include Christus in the London Handel Festival’s world premiere staging of Handel’s Brocke’s Passion; the Marquis de la Force/Dialogues des Carmelites for the Benjamin Britten International Opera School; Conte Alamaviva/Le Nozze di Figaro for Southbank Sinfonia; Marcello La Boheme Sharpless Madame Butterfly for the Mannanan Festival; Mauregato in Schubert’s Alfonso und Estrella; Onegin/Eugene Onegin for Riverside Opera and extracts from Don Giovanni with the London Mozart Players. Having returned to New Zealand last year to sing Valentin in the NBR Zealand Opera’s season of Faust, and Messiah for both Christchurch City Choir and Auckland Choral Society, James is currently singing in the touring production of Hansel and Gretel.

James wishes to gratefully acknowledge the support of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust and New Zealand’s Circle100 group, and his current teacher Enid Hartle.