James Oldfield - Bass
'warm, dark yet agile' - Opera Today
'James Oldfield is a tall and overbearing personality but with the cheeky sparkle in his eye - wonderful stuff' - Classical Source
James trained at Trinity College, Cambridge and at the Royal College of Music, London. In July 2009, he completed an Artists Diploma in Opera at the Royal College of Music International Opera School. Awards' and Scholarships included the Eric Joseph Shilling Prize for Opera, the RCM Sir Thomas Allen Scholarship, the Inaugural Independent Opera/Royal College of Music Scholarship (2008), a Sybil Tutton Award administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund and the 2010 Leonard Ingrams Award from Garsington Opera.
In 2010 James made his professional debut with Garsington Opera as 'Figaro' in 'Le Nozze di Figaro' and since then has performed with Gothenburg Opera (Nick Shadow in 'The Rake's Progress'), The Royal Opera House (Ludd in 'Ludd & Isis') and Opera North (Achilla in Handel's 'Giulio Cesare'). As a seasoned concert soloist, he has performed with the Halle, RTE Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonia, London Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and the Northern Sinfonia. James' debut with the Huddersfield Choral Society (Handel's 'Messiah') was released as a live recording by Signum Records.