Biography
James Andrew Olds is an Australian Bass who holds a Masters of Music in Performance (Voice & Opera) from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London.
In 2016, James made his debut as a Principal Artist with Opera Australia performing the role of The Officer in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and in 2018 performed the role of Sergeant in La Bohème on Sydney Harbour.
James has also been a member of the Opera Australia Chorus since 2009 - having performed in The Marriage of Figaro, Andrea Chénier, Anna Bolena, Aida, Verdi Requiem, Parsifal, King Roger, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Carmen, La Bohème, The Love for Three Oranges, Simon Boccanegra, The Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Lakmé, The Merry Widow, Macbeth, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Der Rosenkavalier and Fidelio.
His Opera Australia engagements for 2020 include La Bohème, Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Aida, La Juive, Lucrezia Borgia and Götterdämmerung.
In 2019, he placed 2nd for the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Society's 3rd Sydney International Song Prize and was awarded a scholarship to attend a summer Lieder programme in Munich. James was also the Winner of three sections at the 2019 Sydney Eisteddfod; Male Operatic Voices, Lieder (Open Age) and French & German Art Song.
In 2016, he was the recipient of both the Sanderson Award and the Hawaiian Performing Arts Festival Prize at Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Society's Bel Canto Award Final and was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship.
In 2015, James performed the role of Count Almaviva in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro for Rockdale Opera and was the Winner of the 34th National Liederfest, which secured him a scholarship at the Franz Schubert-Institut in Austria where he worked closely with Elly Ameling, Helmut Deutsch, Andreas Schmidt, Robert Holl, Rudolf Jansen and Werner Güra.
In 2013, James accepted a scholarship into the Artist Masters Programme at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he studied under Welsh Soprano Marilyn Rees. That same year, James toured the UK and France with Diva Opera again performing the role of The Officer in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and was a finalist in the Australian Music Foundation Awards at Wigmore Hall.
While in London, James performed the role of Betto in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi for St. Paul’s Opera and the roles of Rocco (Fidelio), Leporello (Don Giovanni), and Dr. Dulcamara (L'elisir d'amore) for Guildhall Postgraduate Opera at the Milton Court Theatre.
James Andrew Olds is an Australian Bass who holds a Masters of Music in Performance (Voice & Opera) from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London.
In 2016, James made his debut as a Principal Artist with Opera Australia performing the role of The Officer in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and in 2018 performed the role of Sergeant in La Bohème on Sydney Harbour.
James has also been a member of the Opera Australia Chorus since 2009 - having performed in The Marriage of Figaro, Andrea Chénier, Anna Bolena, Aida, Verdi Requiem, Parsifal, King Roger, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Carmen, La Bohème, The Love for Three Oranges, Simon Boccanegra, The Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Lakmé, The Merry Widow, Macbeth, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Der Rosenkavalier and Fidelio.
His Opera Australia engagements for 2020 include La Bohème, Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Aida, La Juive, Lucrezia Borgia and Götterdämmerung.
In 2019, he placed 2nd for the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Society's 3rd Sydney International Song Prize and was awarded a scholarship to attend a summer Lieder programme in Munich. James was also the Winner of three sections at the 2019 Sydney Eisteddfod; Male Operatic Voices, Lieder (Open Age) and French & German Art Song.
In 2016, he was the recipient of both the Sanderson Award and the Hawaiian Performing Arts Festival Prize at Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Society's Bel Canto Award Final and was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship.
In 2015, James performed the role of Count Almaviva in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro for Rockdale Opera and was the Winner of the 34th National Liederfest, which secured him a scholarship at the Franz Schubert-Institut in Austria where he worked closely with Elly Ameling, Helmut Deutsch, Andreas Schmidt, Robert Holl, Rudolf Jansen and Werner Güra.
In 2013, James accepted a scholarship into the Artist Masters Programme at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he studied under Welsh Soprano Marilyn Rees. That same year, James toured the UK and France with Diva Opera again performing the role of The Officer in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and was a finalist in the Australian Music Foundation Awards at Wigmore Hall.
While in London, James performed the role of Betto in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi for St. Paul’s Opera and the roles of Rocco (Fidelio), Leporello (Don Giovanni), and Dr. Dulcamara (L'elisir d'amore) for Guildhall Postgraduate Opera at the Milton Court Theatre.
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