James Bowman (singer)

James Thomas Bowman (born November 6, 1941 in Oxford , England ) is an English opera singer ( countertenor ). His repertoire includes not only operas , but also oratorios and contemporary music .

Life

After appearing as a boy in the church choir of Ely Cathedral and studying at New College at Oxford University , Bowman began his stage career in 1967 with an appearance as Oberon in the opera A Midsummer Night's Dream by Benjamin Britten . In 1970 he appeared in Francesco Cavalli's opera La Calisto at Glyndebourne and in Handel's Semele at London's English National Opera in 1971 , and in 1973 he appeared in the world premiere of Britten's last opera Death in Venice .

Bowman has performed at numerous major opera houses around the world, including London (English National Opera and Royal Opera House ), Vienna , Milan , Verona , Amsterdam , Paris , Strasbourg , Aix-en-Provence , San Francisco and Sydney , but is now concentrated on concert appearances. In addition to working with Britten, he has performed world premieres by other contemporary composers such as Geoffrey Burgon , Alan Ridout , Richard Rodney Bennett and Michael Nyman . He has recorded over 180 records and has worked with leading conductors such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt , Frans Brüggen , Christopher Hogwood , John Eliot Gardiner , Roger Norrington and Gustav Leonhardt .

James Bowman has received numerous awards. Among other things, he was accepted into the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1992 and received the Medal of Honor from the City of Paris. In the same year he was made an Honorary Doctor of Music from Newcastle University , and in June 1997 he was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire .

Bowman withdrew from concert life on the big stages in 2011/2012 and now only appears occasionally in the English provinces. Every now and then he gives courses and master classes and teaches privately.

Web links

• Website J. Bowman (English)
• Self-described in The Guardian , November 26, 2009