James Atkinson

British baritone James Atkinson is a graduate of the Royal College of Music Opera Studio, where he studied with Alison Wells. He is a BBC New Generation Artist (2023-2025) in conjunction with BBC Radio 3. He made his professional debut singing the role of Masetto in Don Giovanni for Welsh National Opera, returning last season for Guglielmo Cosi fan tutte. In the 2022/23 season, he sang Orest in Elektra with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Jonathan Nott, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore and Steuermann Tristan und Isolde for Luxembourg Opera. He covered the role of Papageno for the Glyndebourne Festival in 2024, and this season added to his repertoire the role of Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with the Mozartists and Ian Page.

The 2025/26 season includes his role debut as Figaro/Le nozze di Figaro on tour in the Netherlands with the Orchestra of the 18th Century and appearances in Geneva, Rotterdam, Dublin and Abu Dhabi. His concert experience includes Belshazzar’s Feast with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Jonathan Nott, Haydn Creation with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Bernard Labadie, Schubert orchestrated songs with the Luxembourg Philharmonic and Nicolas Ellis, Brahms Requiem with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and with the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, Fauré Requiem with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and Handel’s Messiah with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. A distinguished recitalist, his appearances include the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Barcelona, the Klosters Festival, Birmingham, Oxford, London’s Wigmore Hall and his BBC Proms debut at Belfast’s Ulster Hall.