james billson

GRADUATE

BARITONE

James Billson, a lyric-baritone and emerging young artist, recently graduated with a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the end of 2024. Under the guidance of Jane Davidson and the tutelage of Stephen Grant, James honed his craft through both national and international training. In 2024, James undertook a summer program with the Vienna Opera Academy, performing in the Vienna Opera Summer Festival, where he understudied the role of Guglielmo (Così fan tutte, Mozart). This year, he is thrilled to join Opera Scholars Australia’s graduate program, and further his operatic training by undertaking an intensive language and vocal course in Italy, made possible by the generous support of the Cope-Williams Arts Foundation, and the Acclaim Awards.

James has taken on diverse roles, including Papageno in (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), the Father (Hänsel und Gretel, Humperdinck), David in (A Hand of Bridge, Barber), and Starveling (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Britten) with the Conservatorium. He has also appeared as The Giant (The Grumpiest Boy in the World, Joe Twist) and Bundjil in (Parrwang Touches the Sky, Deborah Cheetham) with Victorian Opera. Additionally, James performed in the chorus of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung with Melbourne Opera. Furthermore, James has organized and performed in several independent productions and concerts. Most recently, he contributed to the Opera Unmasked series with T-Shirt Opera, where he was involved in programming and directing.