James Stevens, tenor
"As Peter Quint, James Stevens nearly stole the show. A rarity to hear...a tenor sound so beautiful. He soared in Britten's vocal writing. -Broadway World
"his focused, suave tenor was well-suited to the assignment"
-Opera Today
Steven’s performance is a perfect mix of pain and comedy, delivered with a clear-as-a-bell voice that fills the stage. .. he makes the complex Act I trio “Now / Later / Soon” one of many memorable moments.
-Stage Left St. Louis
Possessing a "clarion voice....
appropriately stealing every scene he was in."
-OperaWire
Biography
Praised for his "focused, suave tenor [which] was well suited to the assignment" (Opera Today) and "possesing a clarion voice" and "appropriately stealing every scene he was in" (OperaWire), tenor James Stevens is rapidly establishing himself as a sought-after tenor throughout the country.
Recent appearances include singing with Union Avenue Opera as Henrik Egerman in Sondheim's A Little Night Music, with his performance praised by critics as "the perfect mix of pain and comedy...with a clear as a bell voice" (Stage Left St. Louis) and as Peter Quint in Britten's The Turn of the Screw, with his performance praised having "nearly stole the show" and having a voice "which soared in Britten's vocal writing" (Broadway World). Other recent appearances include singing with the Des Moines Metro Opera as Thespis in Rameau's Platée, and Chautauqua Opera as Léon in Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles with the composer in attendance, and covering the role of Almaviva in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. Other recent operatic highlights include singing Alfred in Strauss' Die Fledermaus, Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Tolloler in Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, and Albert Herring in Britten's Albert Herring.
Equally at home on the concert stage, his recent concert engagements include covering the tenor solo in Mendelssohn's The First Walpurgis Night with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under Nicholas McGegan, performing the Evangelist in Charles Wood's St. Mark Passion with the Ladue Chapel Choir, and an upcoming performance as the tenor soloist in Britten's Cantata misericordium with the Webster University Choir and Orchestra. Past performances include Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin pianist Trent Patterson as part of the Webster University Concert Series multiple concerts as the tenor soloist with the American Kantorei in various Bach cantatas, singing the tenor solo in Jongen's Mass with the Choralis Choir, and appearing as the tenor soloist with renowned horn player Daniel Katzen in a recital featuring Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings. He frequently appears as the tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah, with recent performances with the Central Maryland Chorale and Landon Symphonette.
Media
"Povero Ernesto"
Donizetti: Don Pasquale
Sandra Geary, piano
"Later"
Sondheim: A Little Night Music
Sandra Geary, piano
Upcoming Performances
Lorenzo- Auber: Fra Diavolo
November 7-16, 2025
131 S. Avenue 57, Highland Park, CA
Past Performances
4th Jew- Strauss: Salome- Union Avenue Opera, August 2025
Paul- Spears/Walat: Paul's Case- Opera Maine, June 2025
Various Roles- New Works Collective (Reve-Like: Black Coffee, Tsui/Tien: Family Style, Amukele/Lee: Kandake), Opera Theatre of St. Louis, February 2025
Rapunzel's Prince- Sondheim: Into the Woods, Union Avenue Opera, August 2024
Tenor Soloist- Johnson: Considering Matthew Shepherd, Webster University Choirs, May 2024
Evangelist- Bach: St. John Passion, American Kantorei Chorus and Orchestra, March 2024
Tenor Soloist- Bach: Koffee Kanata, Kingsbury Ensemble, March 2024
Tenor Soloist (cover)- Orff: Carmina Burana, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, February 2024
Recital with pianist Trent Patterson- Schumann: Dichterliebe, Webster University Concert Series, October 2023
Younger Brother- Flaherty/Ahren: Ragtime, Union Avenue Opera, August 2023
Peter Quint/Prologue- Britten: The Turn of the Screw, Union Avenue Opera, July 2023
Tenor Soloist- Britten: Cantata misericordium, Webster University Choir and Orchestra, April 2023
Evangelist- Woods: St. Mark Passion, Ladue Chapel Choir, March 2023
Tenor Soloist- Bach: BWV 67, 77, 116, American Kantorei and Orchestra, November 2022
Recital with pianist Trent Patterson- Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, Webster University Concert Series, November 2022
Pacific Opera Project presents Fra Diavolo, Daniel Auber’s lively comic opera. This rarely performed gem is a rollicking adventure full of disguises, deception, and delightful melodies. Little known today, but a favorite of 19th-century audiences, Fra Diavolo bridges the world of grand opera and the lighthearted charm of French operetta, foreshadowing the witty, fast-paced works of Offenbach. With a swashbuckling score, colorful characters, and plenty of mischief, this production brings Auber’s masterpiece to life in a fresh, accessible staging.
Sung in English with supertitles and performed with orchestra, this is a rare opportunity to experience an overlooked classic in POP’s signature style. Don’t miss this comic caper filled with romance, adventure, and sparkling melodies!