Operatic Baritone

James Myers is an accomplished actor, singer and voice teacher.  He has sung professionally with Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap Opera and internationally with the Mittelsaechsisches Theater (Middle Saxony Theater) in Frieberg, Germany. On the concert stage, he has sung as a soloist with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra.  He holds a Master of Music degree in vocal performance and a Bachelors degree that included formal studies in both vocal performance and acting.  James was offered scholarship opportunities to continue his education as a Doctorate of Music candidate in vocal performance at several top conservatoires but he declined that route in order to continue pursuing his professional performing career and his teaching of private voice lessons with his growing voice studio.  

James is a formally trained classical singer but one who in addition to singing repertoire from grand opera, has a shared passion for performing musical theatre repertoire and acting.  James has always considered himself to be equal parts singer and actor.   In addition to his formal education in classical singing, James has simultaneously pursued training as an actor.  James is right at home working both on stage and on camera and has enjoyed success as an actor in a variety of mediums. James received formal acting training at both university and through the renowned Signature Theater in Arlington VA, just outside of Washington D.C.  Mr. Myers was admitted into Signature Theater’s “Overtures” acting program as a winner of the Weissberg Fellowship grant.  .

James' early operatic training was as a tenor and then, following the completion of his Master of Music degree studies, he decided to sing baritone roles and repertoire.  James continues to sing predominantly now as a professional baritone.  While he feels right at home singing baritone operatic roles, James has explored dramatic tenor repertoire such as the well known heldentenor aria, "Wintersturme" from Wagner's Die Walkure from the Ring Cycle.  James has enjoyed exploring the heldentenor repertoire for fun but the bulk of his professional operatic singing encompasses baritone roles such as Frank/Fritz/Pierrot in Die tote Stadt by Korngold, Valentin in Faust, the title role of Don Giovanni and Verdi baritone roles like Rodgrigo in Don Carlo and Germont in La Traviata.  His concert and oratorio repertoire as a solo baritone include the Brahms Requiem, the Faure Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Carmina Burana and Handel's Messiah. He has sung a wide range of roles and repertoire on the operatic, concert, recital and theatrical stage.

As a musical theatre actor, James has excelled at performing the classically composed dramatic and romantic musical theatre roles.  His wide ranging voice feels comfortable singing roles as high as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera and as low as the title role in Sweeney Todd.  Other roles that both fit James' vocal range and performing style include:  Billy Bigelow in Carousel, Tommy Albright in Brigadoon, Javert in Les Miserables, Anatoly (The Russian) in Chess, the title role in Jekyll and Hyde, Fred Graham in Kiss Me Kate, Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Lancelot in Camelot, Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard and many others.  James has enjoyed past success in the roles of Marius in Les Miserables and Anthony in Sweeney Todd but has started to retire those roles in recent years.  While a role like Jean Valjean in Les Miserables might be a little on the high end for James, he has performed many excerpts of the role in recital and concert situations including performances of the classic song, "Bring Him Home".  James has even taken on high roles like Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar by making use of his well developed head voice register and his strong reinforced falsetto range.  While he has enjoyed excursions into "tenor land", the baritone and "baritenor" roles are where James feels most at home when performing musical theatre.  He hopes to one day play the lead role of John Adams in the musical, 1776.  For a full list of his musical theatre roles, please click on the tab of the main menu that says, "Roles". 

Recent performances for James include his portrayal of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, the lead role of Tommy Albright in Brigadoon and South Carolina Senator, Edward Rutledge in the musical, 1776.  For James' performance in the production of 1776, Paul M. Bessel and Barbara Braswell of DC Metro Theater Arts write:

“James Myers as Edward Rutlege of South Carolina stops the show with the haunting, almost supernatural, “Molasses to Rum.”  With his deep, rich, defiant voice, stunning vocal range and impeccable vocal dynamics, Myers accuses the Northern colonies of hypocrisy by profiting from the slave trade.”

https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2016/02/06/1776-at-mclean-community-players/

For his role as Edward Rutledge in 1776, James was honored with a Best of 2016 musical theater performance award from DC Metro Theater Arts.

In the role of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, theatre critic, Jeannette Mulherin for the Maryland Theatre Guide writes: 

"Belle...and the Beast (James Myers) are gifted singers who could not have been better cast in their roles."

https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2019/07/20/beauty-and-the-beast-fairfax/

Also for the production of Beauty and Beast, Gina Dalfonzo for DC Metro Theater Arts writes: 

"Belle and James Myers as the Beast bring powerful voices and an appealing warmth and vulnerability to their roles."

https://mdtheatreguide.com/2019/07/theatre-review-beauty-and-the-beast-at-the-city-of-fairfax-theatre-company/

In addition to his work in musical theater, James has appeared numerous times on stage as an actor in plays and on film.  He played the lead role of Warren Ives in the Little Theater of Alexandria’s production of Ira Levin’s play: “Cantorial”.  For his appearance in this production Joe Adcock of ShowBizRadio writes:

“Myers, who has a beautiful voice, brings off a charming final moment when his preppy WASP starts singing liturgical Hebrew.”

http://washingtondc.showbizradio.com/2012/11/review-lta-cantorial/

Jordan Wright for the website, “Whisk and Quill”, writes that his performance as Warren Ives in Cantorial was, 

“played with moving intensity by James Myers”.

http://whiskandquill.com/cantorial-at-the-little-theatre-of-alexandria

As a result of his success in Cantorial, James was cast to play the American writer Max Halliday a few short months later in Little Theatre of Alexandria’s production of Dial M for Murder.  

For his work in Dial M for Murder, Jordan Wright of the Alexandria Times writes:  

"Actor James Myers, coming off his success in the fall's "Cantorial" at Little Theatre, gives a smooth performance as the American crime writer boyfriend, Max Halliday"

https://alextimes.com/2013/03/little-theatre-dials-m-for-marvelous-with-classic-whodunit/

Jackie Friedlander for the Fairfax Times writes:

"Ably rounding out the ensemble, James Myers is more than attractive enough to console the wronged wife as the man who really loves her,"

As a voice teacher, James has maintained an active voice studio for many years.  He has served on the faculty at George Mason University’s Mason Community Arts Academy and  as adjunct faculty on the voice department of the school of music at George Mason University.  His students have gone on to study both music and theatre at top universities and conservatories.  James works with several professional singers and actors and has helped prepare members of the GMU theater and dance faculty for roles in professional shows.  He has helped his musical theatre students secure call back auditions to professional Broadway shows in New York, most recently, the Broadway touring production of Dear Evan Hanson. He is a full member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) as well as the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) which has reciprocity with Actors Equity Association.  

Having himself navigated the challenging process of applying to graduate, doctorate and post graduate programs in opera and classical voice at top conservatoires and universities throughout the United States, James is fully prepared to help classical singers who have completed their Bachelor of Music degree studies find their way to the next step in building their careers.  For a limited time, James is offering discounted voice lessons to any students who have already earned a Bachelors degree in either classical voice or musical theatre voice.  If this applies to you, please feel free to inquire about a discounted lesson rate.  To reiterate though, James is happy to teach all ages, levels and voice types.  As a voice teacher, James takes great pride in treating every singer with the utmost respect and he tailors the lessons to fit each singers' unique needs and requirements.  He and his students do work hard but James also strives to make the process lighthearted, supportive and enjoyable.  

James is available for "virtual video voice lessons" over the video conferencing platform, Zoom.  He will return to offering in person voice lessons in August 2021.  For new students who may need in person lessons before August 2021, please feel free to mention this and we will try to work with you to find a suitable space to begin in person lessons this Summer.  James will continue offering video lessons over zoom to anyone who prefers that option for the foreseeable future. If you are interested in taking voice lessons or hiring James as a singer or actor, please contact us through this website by clicking on the tab that says Contact.  Below are video samples of James' work which include a mixture of operatic singing, musical theatre singing and his acting reel.  There are additional video and audio samples of his work  located on seperate pages of this website as well.  When James is not performing or teaching, he enjoys playing the piano, exercising, trying new restaurants, driving his mustang and exploring any place with mountains.  Thank you for visiting!