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The American tenor, James Reese, obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Arts Adminsitration from Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music (2011-2015); and his Master of Music degree from Yale University’s School of Music, where he studied with James Taylor at the Institute of Sacred Music (2016-2018). He is the 2018 winner of the Margot Fassler Award for the Performance of Music at Yale, as well as the Career Advancement Award - which recognizes ‘especially promising young artists’ - from the Musical Fund Society.
Named "a shining tenor" by the New York Classical Review, GRAMMY® Award-winner James Reese is a frequently sought-after performer with leading ensembles throughout North America, collaborating with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (Directors: Nicholas McGegan/Richard Egarr), American Bach Soloists (Director: Jeffrey Thomas), Washington Bach Consort (Director: J. Reilly Lewis), TENET Vocal Artists (Director: Jolle Greenleaf), and Tempesta di Mare. He sings frequently with other leading choruses and vocal ensembles, including Tenebrae (Director: Nigel Short), Blue Heron, Seraphic Fire (Director: Patrick Dupré Quigley), The Crossing, and Gallicantus. An active recitalist, he also performs alongside friend and collaborator, pianist Daniel Overly.
James Reese maintains busy performing career as concert soloist and collaborative musician with over 50 performances per year throughout the USA and Europe; specialist in early music repertoire and new music; sought-after collaborator for special projects. In the 2022-2023 season, he made his Boston Early Music Festival debut in two chamber operas by Lully and Charpentier. He also appears as Mercuré in the Festival’s production of Henry Desmarest’s Circé, recorded under the CPO / Chandos label. He also returned to the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, additionally making solo debuts with The Sebastians (Director: Jeffrey Grossman) (J.S. Bach's Missa brevis in G major BWV 236) and the American Festival Orchestra (J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245). In the 2023-2024 season, he looks forward to debuts with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Les Délices, Symphony Nova Scotia, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and Bach Collegium San Diego (Director: Ruben Valenzuela), among others.
James Reese is a noted interpreter of Baroque music, giving performances both "splendid" (San Francisco Chronicle) and "captivating" (Broad Street Review). Describing his Carnegie Hall solo debut in J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor BWV 232 with the New York Choral Society, the New York Classical Review noted “the high, easy tenor of James Reese.” Following a performance of George Frideric Handel's Messiah with the American Bach Soloists, Classical Sonoma wrote, “tenor James Reese sang with telling dramatic urgency and effortlessly produced fioritura." More recently, the New York Classical Review wrote, “The most bravura singing was provided by Reese in the Quoniam (J.S. Bach's Missa brevis in G major BWV 236),” noting his “shining tenor and forthright delivery.”
James Reese has recorded on the ECM, Harmonia Mundi, Innova, and Albany labels. He appears as a soloist on several discs released on the Hyperion Label, including singing the Evangelist in Heinrich Schütz' Christmas Oratorio. Of that performance, The Academy of Sacred Drama wrote of “Mr. Reese, who impressed with his agile voice and penetrating timbre.” In 2023, he won a GRAMMY® Award as a soloist singing the music of Edie Hill on the record Born, released by The Crossing. He lives in Philadelphia. He also works as Freelance Web and Graphic Designer (since January 2020). |
