James Ley’s opera highlights include debuts as Váňa Kudrjaš at Bergen National Opera conducted by Jiří Rožeň and as Vaudémont in David Bösch’s new production of Iolanta at Oper Bern led by Nicholas Carter. He appeared as Ferrando in Cosí fan tutte under Marc Minkowski at both Opéra National de Bordeaux and Gran Teatre del Liceu, and sang the Messenger in Aida under Zubin Mehta as part of Münchener Opernfestspiele.

An esteemed concert artist, James Ley recently performed Scriabin’s Symphony No.1 with Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi and with Orquesta y Coro de la Communidad de Madrid under Marzena Diakun, Bruckner’s Te Deum with Atlanta Symphony under Nathalie Stutzmann, Britten’s Nocturne with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra under Christoph Koncz, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with Opéra de Limoges and Robert Tuohy, and Mendelssohn’s Elias with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Howard Arman. Ley has sung Handel’s Messiah many times, most recently with Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Courtney Lewis, and he joined Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Edward Gardner at Edinburgh International Festival as Second Nazarene in Salome, recorded by Chandos Records.

James Ley was the recipient of an Opera Foundation scholarship during his time at Bayerische Staatsoper Opernstudio, has appeared in Masterclass with Yannick Nézet-Séguin as well as in Carnegie Hall’s SongStudio, with guest teachers including Renée Fleming. He participated in the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence Académie, the Salzburg Young Artist Project and the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie in Neumarkt, run by Edith Wiens.