James Cleverton
Video & Audio
James Cleverton was born in Kent and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Zürich Opera’s International Opera Studio. His awards include the prestigious Texaco Award for Opera, the Veitch Ibler Award for Oratorio and a Susan Chilcott Scholarship. He is an international ambassador for the Concordia Foundation.
James made his international opera debut as Escamillo in Bizets Carmen for the Spier Opera Festival in South Africa. Other roles include Count Asdrubale in Rossini’s La Pietra del Paragone at Opéra de Rennes and Zürich Opera, John Sorel in Menotti’s Der Konsul for Zürich Opera, Silvio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci in Hanoi (Vietnam), Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Opera by Definition, Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro for Clonter Opera, Enrico in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor for Iford Festival, Malatesta in Don Pasquale for Stanley Hall Opera and Alfio in Mascagni‘s Cavalleria Rusticana and Tonio in I Pagliacci for Burry Port Opera.
Recently, James has performed the roles of Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff for Grange Park/Nevill Holt Festival, Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème for Mid-Wales Opera, Escamillo for Bacchanale Opera, Grosvenor in Patience, Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore, Giuseppe in The Gondoliers, Florian in Princess Ida, The Pirate King, Pish Tush in The Mikado and Strephon in Iolanthe at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival as well as Sweeney Todd for Pimlico Opera.
Performances in 2009 include the roles of Eisenstein in Strauß’ Die Fledermaus for Castleward Opera in Northern Ireland and at Wexford Opera, The Forester Cunning Little Vixen for the Oundle Music Festival, Danilo in Lehár's The Merry Widow for Lakeland Opera and Giuseppe in The Gondoliers for Zürich Pocket Opera. In April 2009, James made his English National Opera debut to critical acclaim, singing the role of Oppenheimer in Penny Woolcock’s joint production with the Met of Dr Atomic by Adams.
In April 2010, he sang the title role in Schweizer's opera Jakob von Gunten at the St. Gallen Opera in Switzerland. In August 2010, James made his Salzburg Festival debut within a production of Alban Berg's Lulu and in October 2010 his Royal Opera Covent Garden debut as Grigorio in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. Other performances in 2010/11 included The Merry Widow at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Stern (cover) in Mark-Anthony Turnage' new opera Anna Nicole at Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the title role of Don Giovanni for Lyric Opera Dublin and The Pirates of Penzance at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. He also took part in the world premiere of Mathias Steinhauer's new opera Keyner nit in Luzern.
In 2011/12, he will be heard as Papageno in The Magic Flute in St. Gallen and as Marcello in La Bohème in Bristol.
James has given solo recitals across Europe in English, French and German. As a Concordia Ambassador, he recently gave a concert and master classes in Havana, Cuba. He has worked with orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Basel Sinfonietta, the Zürcher Kammerorchester and both the Royal Scottish National and Chamber Orchestras. James has performed Händel’s Messiah, Israel in Egypt and Haydn’s Creation in Glasgow Cathedral, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in the Caird Hall, Dundee, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius in Edinburgh Cathedral, Mendelssohn’s Paulus in the Oban Cathedral, Orff’s Carmina Burana for the Isle of Wight Festival and Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Swiss Chamber Orchestra.
He took part in numerous television and radio broadcasts.
September 2011
James Cleverton was born in Kent and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Zürich Opera’s International Opera Studio. His awards include the prestigious Texaco Award for Opera, the Veitch Ibler Award for Oratorio and a Susan Chilcott Scholarship. He is an international ambassador for the Concordia Foundation.
James made his international opera debut as Escamillo in Bizets Carmen for the Spier Opera Festival in South Africa. Other roles include Count Asdrubale in Rossini’s La Pietra del Paragone at Opéra de Rennes and Zürich Opera, John Sorel in Menotti’s Der Konsul for Zürich Opera, Silvio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci in Hanoi (Vietnam), Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Opera by Definition, Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro for Clonter Opera, Enrico in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor for Iford Festival, Malatesta in Don Pasquale for Stanley Hall Opera and Alfio in Mascagni‘s Cavalleria Rusticana and Tonio in I Pagliacci for Burry Port Opera.
Recently, James has performed the roles of Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff for Grange Park/Nevill Holt Festival, Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème for Mid-Wales Opera, Escamillo for Bacchanale Opera, Grosvenor in Patience, Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore, Giuseppe in The Gondoliers, Florian in Princess Ida, The Pirate King, Pish Tush in The Mikado and Strephon in Iolanthe at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival as well as Sweeney Todd for Pimlico Opera.
Performances in 2009 include the roles of Eisenstein in Strauß’ Die Fledermaus for Castleward Opera in Northern Ireland and at Wexford Opera, The Forester Cunning Little Vixen for the Oundle Music Festival, Danilo in Lehár's The Merry Widow for Lakeland Opera and Giuseppe in The Gondoliers for Zürich Pocket Opera. In April 2009, James made his English National Opera debut to critical acclaim, singing the role of Oppenheimer in Penny Woolcock’s joint production with the Met of Dr Atomic by Adams.
In April 2010, he sang the title role in Schweizer's opera Jakob von Gunten at the St. Gallen Opera in Switzerland. In August 2010, James made his Salzburg Festival debut within a production of Alban Berg's Lulu and in October 2010 his Royal Opera Covent Garden debut as Grigorio in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. Other performances in 2010/11 included The Merry Widow at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Stern (cover) in Mark-Anthony Turnage' new opera Anna Nicole at Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the title role of Don Giovanni for Lyric Opera Dublin and The Pirates of Penzance at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. He also took part in the world premiere of Mathias Steinhauer's new opera Keyner nit in Luzern.
In 2011/12, he will be heard as Papageno in The Magic Flute in St. Gallen and as Marcello in La Bohème in Bristol.
James has given solo recitals across Europe in English, French and German. As a Concordia Ambassador, he recently gave a concert and master classes in Havana, Cuba. He has worked with orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Basel Sinfonietta, the Zürcher Kammerorchester and both the Royal Scottish National and Chamber Orchestras. James has performed Händel’s Messiah, Israel in Egypt and Haydn’s Creation in Glasgow Cathedral, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in the Caird Hall, Dundee, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius in Edinburgh Cathedral, Mendelssohn’s Paulus in the Oban Cathedral, Orff’s Carmina Burana for the Isle of Wight Festival and Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Swiss Chamber Orchestra.
He took part in numerous television and radio broadcasts.
September 2011
