James L. Brown

Tenor-Stage Director

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    A native of Louisiana, tenor James L. Brown is an active proponent of early and new music. He has performed roles in such diverse operas as The Ballad of Baby Doe, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Eugene Onegin, Cosí fan Tutte, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Conrad Susa's Transformations. Mr. Brown has sung with such opera companies as New York City Opera, New Orleans Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Bronx Opera, Rogue Opera (Oregon), Chautauqua Opera, Skylight Opera Theatre (Milwaukee), Aspen Opera Theater and The Spoleto Festival in Spoleto, Italy. The tenor has sung roles under the baton of such well-known conductors as Rinaldo Alessandrini, James Conlon, John DeMain, Richard Hickox, Julius Rudel and Robert Spano. James has introduced many world premieres in the last several years, among which are: Russian composer, Vladimir Ryabav’s The Border Between Light and Darkness, Sheila Silver's The Thief of Love (recently released on DVD), Jack Beeson's The Equilibrists and Mexican/American composer Riccardo Zohn-Muldoon's Comala at the Teatro de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
    As a recitalist, James has appeared at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Harris Concert Hall at the Aspen Festival, The Ravinia Festival in Chicago and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. James sang the title roles in New York State Baroque’s (Ithaca, NY) productions of Rameau’s Pygmalion, Handel’s Jephtha and Bach’s St. John Passion (Evangelist). James has also appeared with the Louisiana Philharmonic as tenor soloist in Mozart's Requiem and Handel's Messiah.
    Brown holds degrees from Loyola University/ New Orleans, the Juilliard School and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Recent engagements include a return to Stony Brook, New York in February 2005 to sing the role of Testo in Monteverdi’s Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. The tenor also appeared in 2005 as a soloist with the Puget Sound Consort in Gig Harbor, WA as part of the Peninsula United Music Association's concert series. Other recent appearances include tenor soloist in Carmina Burana with PLU's Choral Union and a Mozart Concert Aria with the PLU orchestra on their January, 2006 tour.   Dr. Brown also recently presented a recital of "Vocal Chamber Music of the Baroque and Modern Eras," featuring Jennifer Rhyne, flute and Oksana Ezhokina, piano. Upcoming appearances include a recital of French song with the Icicle Creek Piano Trio in Leavenworth, WA, the tenor solos in Mozart's Requiem with the Bremerton Symphony, several roles in the Seattle Early Music Guild's production of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea (February, 2007), a recital at PLU of 20^th century vocal chamber music for voice, viola and piano with Oksana Ezhokina (March, 2007) and the title role in Monteverdi's Orfeo with Stony Brook Baroque in New York (April, 2007).