James Reese
Named "a shining tenor" by the New York Classical Review, GRAMMY® Award-winner James Reese is a frequently sought-after performer with leading ensembles throughout North America, collaborating with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the American Bach Soloists, the Washington Bach Consort, TENET Vocal Artists, and Tempesta di Mare. An active recitalist, Reese also performs alongside friend and collaborator, pianist Daniel Overly.
In the 2023-2024 season, James looks forward to debuts with Tafelmusik, Les Délices, Symphony Nova Scotia, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and Bach Collegium San Diego, among others.
Last season, James made his Boston Early Music Festival debut in two chamber operas by Lully and Charpentier. He also appears as Mercuré in the Festival’s production of Henry Desmarest’s Circé, recorded under the CPO / Chandos label. James also returned to the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, additionally making solo debuts with the Sebastians (Bach’s Mass in G Major) and the American Festival Orchestra (Bach’s St. John Passion).
James is a noted interpreter of Baroque music, giving performances both "splendid" (San Francisco Chronicle) and "captivating" (Broad Street Review). Describing his Carnegie Hall solo debut in Bach’s B Minor Mass with the New York Choral Society, the New York Classical Review noted “the high, easy tenor of James Reese.” Following a performance of Handel’s Messiah with the American Bach Soloists, Classical Sonoma wrote, “tenor James Reese sang with telling dramatic urgency and effortlessly produced fioritura." More recently, the New York Classical Review wrote, “The most bravura singing was provided by Reese in the Quoniam (Bach’s Mass in G Major),” noting his “shining tenor and forthright delivery.”
James sings frequently with other leading choruses and vocal ensembles, including Tenebrae, Blue Heron, Seraphic Fire, The Crossing, and Gallicantus.
James has recorded on the ECM, Harmonia Mundi, Innova, and Albany labels. He appears as a soloist on several discs released on the Hyperion Label, including singing the Evangelist in Heinrich Schütz’s Christmas Oratorio. Of that performance, The Academy of Sacred Drama wrote of “Mr. Reese, who impressed with his agile voice and penetrating timbre.”
James is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and holds a master’s degree from Yale University’s School of Music, where he studied with James Taylor at the Institute of Sacred Music. James is the 2018 winner of the Margot Fassler Award for the Performance of Music at Yale, as well as the Career Advancement Award — which recognizes ‘especially promising young artists’ — from the Musical Fund Society. In 2023, he won a GRAMMY® Award as a soloist singing the music of Edie Hill on the record Born, released by The Crossing. He lives in Philadelphia.
In the 2023-2024 season, James looks forward to debuts with Tafelmusik, Les Délices, Symphony Nova Scotia, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and Bach Collegium San Diego, among others.
Last season, James made his Boston Early Music Festival debut in two chamber operas by Lully and Charpentier. He also appears as Mercuré in the Festival’s production of Henry Desmarest’s Circé, recorded under the CPO / Chandos label. James also returned to the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, additionally making solo debuts with the Sebastians (Bach’s Mass in G Major) and the American Festival Orchestra (Bach’s St. John Passion).
James is a noted interpreter of Baroque music, giving performances both "splendid" (San Francisco Chronicle) and "captivating" (Broad Street Review). Describing his Carnegie Hall solo debut in Bach’s B Minor Mass with the New York Choral Society, the New York Classical Review noted “the high, easy tenor of James Reese.” Following a performance of Handel’s Messiah with the American Bach Soloists, Classical Sonoma wrote, “tenor James Reese sang with telling dramatic urgency and effortlessly produced fioritura." More recently, the New York Classical Review wrote, “The most bravura singing was provided by Reese in the Quoniam (Bach’s Mass in G Major),” noting his “shining tenor and forthright delivery.”
James sings frequently with other leading choruses and vocal ensembles, including Tenebrae, Blue Heron, Seraphic Fire, The Crossing, and Gallicantus.
James has recorded on the ECM, Harmonia Mundi, Innova, and Albany labels. He appears as a soloist on several discs released on the Hyperion Label, including singing the Evangelist in Heinrich Schütz’s Christmas Oratorio. Of that performance, The Academy of Sacred Drama wrote of “Mr. Reese, who impressed with his agile voice and penetrating timbre.”
James is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and holds a master’s degree from Yale University’s School of Music, where he studied with James Taylor at the Institute of Sacred Music. James is the 2018 winner of the Margot Fassler Award for the Performance of Music at Yale, as well as the Career Advancement Award — which recognizes ‘especially promising young artists’ — from the Musical Fund Society. In 2023, he won a GRAMMY® Award as a soloist singing the music of Edie Hill on the record Born, released by The Crossing. He lives in Philadelphia.