With an extensive repertoire ranging from the medieval period to the twenty-first century, James Taylor devotes much of his career to oratorio and concert literature. As one of the most sought-after Bach tenors of his generation, he has performed and recorded extensively with many of today’s preeminent Bach specialists, including Nicholas Harnoncourt, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, Ton Koopman, Hans-Christoph Rademann, and Masaaki Suzuki. From their first concert together in 1993, to the time of his retirement, James maintained a close relationship with conductor, Helmuth Rilling and the International Bach-Academy Stuttgart, performing and teaching master classes worldwide.
In 2008 he debuted with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Kurt Masur, singing the role of the Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Taylor’s career as an oratorio specialist has taken him throughout the United States, South America, Japan, Korea, and Israel, and to virtually all the major orchestras and concert halls of Europe. He is particularly proud to have performed Britten’s War Requiem in the Munich Residence on the sixtieth anniversary of the end of World War II. He has recorded extensively on the Hänssler, harmonia mundi, Limestone, Naxos, and ArkivMusik labels.
James Taylor began his teaching career as Professor of Voice at the Hochschule für Musik, in Augsburg, Germany. He joined the faculty of Yale University in 2005 and serves as head of the voice program in Early Music, Art Song and Oratorio. In 2014, he was promoted to Professor in the Practice of Voice. His 30+ years as an international singing artist and 25 years as a professor of voice, make him a highly prized docent, regularly teaching master classes in the U.S. and abroad. Additionally, Prof. Taylor is increasingly in demand as a juror for a variety of singing competitions, including the International Bach-Competition Leipzig, the International Schubert Competition Dortmund, and Thomas Quasthoff’s Das Lied competition in Heidelberg.
B.Mus.Texas Christian University; Master’s Diploma, Hochschule für Musik, Munich
- Voice