JAMES LAING
Rapidly establishing himself at the forefront of the new generation of countertenors, James Laing studied at Uppingham School and was a choral scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge. He furthered his studies at the Royal College of Music with Robin Blaze. He was selected by OPERA NOW as amongst ‘Who’s Hot’ for his performance as Nerone Agrippina at the London Handel Festival. His broadcast work includes Sports Personality of the Year for BBC TV, In Tune for Radio 3 and Midweek for Radio 4. A feature interview appeared in the JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2007 edition of OPERA.
James Laing’s engagements have included Oberon A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Raphael Tobias and the Angel for ETO, Refugee Flight for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Raphael Tobias and the Angel at the Young Vic and for the Oundle Festival, Nerone Agrippina and John Brockes Passion at the London Handel Festival, Medoro Orlando for the Early Opera Company Pastor L’Orfeo and Spirit Dido and Aeneas for Opera North, Zephyrus Apollo and Hyacinthus for OTC, Dublin, and the Classical Opera Company, the B Minor Mass with the City of London Sinfonia in St Albans Abbey, the St John Passion at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Messiah with the Apollo Chamber Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Hallé Orchestra, the William Byrd Festival with Pacific Northwest Viols in the USA, The Scarlatti Dynasty at the Blumental International Music Festival, Israel, and Other Shakespearean Dreamers at The Liceu, Barcelona.
James Laing’s current engagements include Oberon A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Coachman / Fox The Adventures of Pinocchio for Opera North, Endimione La Calisto (Cover) for the Royal Opera, London, Giuliano Eliogabalo for Grange Park Opera, Armindo Partenope for Les Azuriales Opera, Ascanio Ascanio in Alba for the Classical Opera Company, the St John Passion with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Vivaldi Cantatas with the Ten Tors Orchestra.
James Laing has been nominated for a 2008 Royal Philharmonic Music Society Young Artist Award.
