Macleans College Music Department Welcomes New Vocal Specialist

James Harrison has an extensive wealth of experience that he will be bringing to the school.

He graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland and after a year as an Emerging Artist with NBR New Zealand Opera, studied with Margaret Kingsley at the Royal College of Music where he won the Lies Askonas Prize, the McCulloch Prize for Opera and a special Director’s Prize. He then progressed to the National Opera Studio.

On the concert platform James has sung with Sir David Wilcocks (Messiah) and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge (Creation) at the Royal Albert Hall; the Classical Opera Company at the Barbican; and Peter Schreier (Weihnachts Oratorium) at St John’s Smith Square.

Prior to a successful season as Conte Almaviva/Le Nozze di Figaro in Norway, James made his debut for English National Opera in Tansy Davis’ Between Worlds and made his ROH debut in Opera Holland Park’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland at The Lindbury Studio. His operatic roles include Christus in the London Handel Festival’s world premiere staging of Handel’s Brocke’s Passion; Bello/La Fanciulla del West for Opera Holland Park; Conte Alamaviva/Le Nozze di Figaro for Regent’s Opera; Hortensius La Fille du Regiment/Opera della Luna; Scarpia/Tosca for Opera UpClose; and extracts from Don Giovanni with the London Mozart Players. James has also covered roles for English National Opera, Opera North and Garsington.

In New Zealand James has sung in productions including the title role in the world premiere of Eve de Castro Robinson's opera Len Lye; Morales/Carmen, Valentin/Faust and Father/Hansel & Gretel for NBR Zealand Opera and concerts with the Auckland Choral Society, the Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch City Choir.

He has participated in masterclasses with Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Tom Krause, Gerald Finley and Sir Donald McIntyre. As a teacher he had a successful studio in London with students accepted to conservatoires in London and the United States and since moving back to Auckland has worked with both the Emerging Artists at New Zealand Opera and the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir.