Zachary James, 2022 Grammy Winner, described as a "true stage animal" by Opera News is an international opera, concert and cabaret singer, stage and screen actor and recording artist known for his “huge, robust bass” which “resonates with force” (Bach Track), “tremendous power and presence” (The Arts Desk, London) and “intrinsically beautiful”, “cavernous bass” with “oomph and range” (Opera News). Zach was named as the BroadwayWorld 2010-2020 Vocalist and Performer of the Decade, the 2019 Breakout Opera Artist of the Year by Verismo Magazine, The Most Innovative Opera Singer of 2019 by The Classical Post and was identified as an industry leader and accepted an invitation to become and official ambassador for Opera America.
Zach started his career on Broadway and made his entrance into the opera world creating the role of Abraham Lincoln in the world premiere of Philip Glass’s opera The Perfect American at the Teatro Real in Madrid, a role he reprised for London’s English National Opera and Australia’s Opera Queensland and the Brisbane Festival. A winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition, Zach has been engaged by London’s English National Opera (Amenhotep III in the Olivier Award Winning production of Akhnaten, Abraham Lincoln in The Perfect American), Spain’s Teatro Real and Australia’s Opera Queensland (Abraham Lincoln in The Perfect American), LA Opera (Amenhotep III in Akhnaten), Opera Philadelphia (Terry in the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Breaking the Waves), Des Moines Metro Opera (John Claggart in the Emmy Award winning broadcast production of Billy Budd, Vodnik in Rusalka), Arizona Opera (Fafner in Das Rheingold), Fort Worth Opera (The Ghost in Mark Adamo’s Avow), Opera Roanoke (Olin Blitch in Susannah, Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Alidoro in La cenerentola, Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd), Opera Ithaca (Bluebeard in Bluebeard’s Castle, Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni), Shreveport Opera (Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance), Anchorage Opera (Pooh-Bah in The Mikado), Union Avenue Opera (The Mikado in The Mikado), Schlossoper Haldenstein, Switzerland (Sparafucile in Rigoletto), Teatro Citta della Pieve (Oberon in the world premiere of Kristin Hevner’s Il Sogno), Central City Opera (Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni), Ash Lawn Opera (Il Bonzo in Madama Butterfly) and Knoxville Opera (Il Bonzo in Madama Butterfly, Gideon March in Little Women, Joe in The Most Happy Fella), Phoenicia International Festival of Voice (Howard in Do Not Go Gentle), Prototype Festival NYC (Señor del Norte in La Reina), Metropolis Opera Project (Oberon in the USA premiere of Il Sogno), Chutzpah Festival (Rebbe in A Blessing on the Moon), American Lyric Theatre (Mr. Beauregard in The Golden Ticket) and Illuminarts Miami (Bass Soloist in The Little Matchgirl Passion).
2018 debuts include the role of Frank Maurrant in Street Scene with Virginia Opera, Zaccaria in Nabucco with Union Avenue Opera, Fafner in Das Rheingold with Arizona Opera, The Ghost in Avow with Fort Worth Opera and more. In 2019 Zach returned to English National Opera for Akhnaten, made his Nashville Opera debut as the Four Villains in Les Contes d'Hoffmann and returned to Des Moines Metro Opera to play the Doctor in Wozzeck. Zach made his Metropolitan Opera debut in their 2019/2020 season reprising the role of Amenhotep III in the Olivier Award winning production of Akhnaten and returned to Opera Philadelphia to play The Cook in The Love For Three Oranges.
Cancelled or postponed productions due to the ongoing Covid-19 global pandemic include Zach's Minnesota Opera debut in the world premiere of Edward Tulane, Florentine Opera debut as Banquo in Macbeth, Beethoven 9 with the Cape Symphony and Southern New Jersey Philharmonic and returns to Des Moines Metro Opera to sing Jupiter in Platée and Virginia Opera for The Pirates of Penzance.
Zach returned to live performances in the summer of 2021 playing the title role in Man of La Mancha at Opera Saratoga, playing to record breaking crowds at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center amphitheater and continued on as The Monster in Young Frankenstein at the Ogunquit Playhouse, Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd with Opera Omaha and the Immigration Officer in Flight with Dallas Opera.
Future engagements include a return to The Metropolitan Opera for Akhnaten, the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance with Cincinnati Opera, the world premiere of Edward Tulane with Minnesota Opera, Tosca with LA Opera.