Winner of both the 2021 John Wegner and Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto award(s), Australian baritone James Young has worked with some of the world’s leading vocal pedagogues, coaches and conductors.

The 2022 season sees James returning to Schloss Henfenfeld for performances as Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. He will then perform the role of Leopold in Benatzsky’s operetta Im weißen Rößl followed by performances of Baculus in Lortzing’s opera Der Wildschütz at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg, where he is also currently completing a Master’s degree in Opera under the tutelage of Professor Susanne Kelling. James is a scholarship holder with the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now program beginning in 2022 with accompanist Dahyon Min.

In the 2021 season, James returned to Bayreuth for performances of Carl Orff’s rarely heard opera ‘Prometheus’ in the role of Okeanos. Subsequent performances included concert performances of Graf von Eberbach in Der Wildschütz and multiple collaborations with Ensemble Sarband under the direction of Vladimir Ivanoff and with the Polizeiorchester Bayern.

In the 2020 season, James was engaged as bass soloist for Bach’s Matthäus-Passion followed by role debuts as Marullo and Monterone in concert performances of Rigoletto at Schloss Henfenfeld in Germany under the baton of Denette Whitter. In August, 2020, James returned as Artist in Residence in Bayreuth, highlighted by an engagement from the Bayreuth Festspielhaus to perform excerpts from Wagner and Mozart in lieu of the cancelled Bayreuther Festspiele and a televised street performance of scenes from Wagner, Verdi and Mozart. 

In the 2019 season, James returned to some of the largest opera houses across China for a five week season of Le nozze di Figaro covering the role of Il Conte di Almaviva. Directly following this tour, James was engaged for a range of concerts and performances across Germany, in locations including: Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Weimar, Nuremberg and Starnberg. In August 2019, James completed his first engagement with the Bayreuth Young Artist Festival and presented a versatile program highlighted by the Antonín Dvorák Biblische Lieder Song Cycle in the Stadtkirche von Bayreuth among various other operatic performances and concerts.

In the 2017-2018 Season, James completed his first twenty-three city tour of China in the role of Amonasro from Verdi’s Aida, he also portrayed Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with GBD Touring Grand Opera Melbourne, and Presto in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias with Lyric Opera.

Mr. Young’s 2016-2017 operatic season included a principal role in Copland’s rarely staged The Second Hurricane with Victorian Opera, and Masetto in Millennium Opera’s production of Don Giovanni.