James was born and raised in suburban Northern Virginia and was a proud choir boy from his earliest days in church through his teenage years. He also explored his affinity for music through guitar and songwriting, eventually deciding to study opera in college.

In 2017, he got bit by the acting bug during his freshman year at Westminster Choir College, where he majored in Voice Performance (BM) and studied acting with Carolann Page. In his time at Westminster, James performed a variety of roles in operas, musicals, and plays, including Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Master of Ceremonies in Cendrillon, Dad in the world premiere of the audience-interactive opera, Marie Begins, Steven Kodaly in She Loves Me, The Adult Men in Spring Awakening. It was also during this time that James made his professional debut, being featured in Blowin’ Off Steam at the Capital Fringe Festival, Play Brawl Gala at Philadelphia Theatre Company, All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 at Franklin Theatre Works, Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Songs for a New World with Limelight Theatre Company. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, James was involved in a variety of virtual projects, including It’s a Wonderful Life as George Bailey (directed by Broadway veteran, T. Oliver Reid) and Seussical with The Virtual Stage Company. James is also proud to have been a member of the renowned Westminster Choir, which has afforded him the opportunity to perform in cities all over the world. He graduated magna cum laude, having amassed several awards in the process: First Place in the the 2020 Eastern Regional NATS competition, Second Place in the 2020 National NATS competition, and Westminster’s Dalton Baldwin Award in Art Song Performance.

James continued his studies in 2021, enrolling at Manhattan School of Music for a Master’s Degree in Classical Voice under the tutelage of Maitland Peters and Sidney Outlaw. While at MSM, he sang the roles of Jupiter in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Charlot in Jacques Ibert’s Angélique and L’horloge comtoise in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges. He also appeared at Spoleto Festival USA singing the role of the Customs Officer in Yuval Sharon’s innovative reverse-staging of La bohème and in the chorus for Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex at Opera Philadelphia. In the summer of 2022, James made his off-Broadway debut portraying Mel Ferrer in Audrey: The New Musical at The Players Theatre and subsequently originated roles off-off-Broadway in Yehuda L. Hyman’s dance-infused play, Secret of the Possible, at the 14th Street Y Theatre and Will Wilson Saves the World at the Spark Theatre Festival NYC. He graduated from MSM in 2023 as the winner of the Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition and the prestigious Stan Sesser Career Award in Voice.

In the fall of 2023, James cultivated his growing passion for theatre by making his 54 Below debut in the premiere of Human: A New Ancient Musical, returning for 54 Sings INSIDE shortly thereafter. He also performed as the baritone soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs at The Riverside Church under the baton of Daniela Candillari, won an Encouragement Award in the inaugural DMV District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and won second place in the Chamber Orchestra of New York’s Respighi Prize in Performance.

In the Spring of 2024, James was featured in the original cast recording of the new musical, Isabella of Boston. He subsequently was featured as the Boatman/Charles Redmond in Eamon Foley’s reimagined Sunday in the Park with George at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center, starring Graham Phillips and Talia Suskauer as well as the New York premiere of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s An American Soldier at the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) directed by Obie-winner, Chay Yew. He then was heard as the baritone soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with Canterbury Choral Society and made his Carnegie Hall debut in the summer of 2024 as the soloist in Fauré’s Requiem.

In addition to performing, James maintains a private voice studio for young singers in New Jersey, where he currently resides with his wife, Morgan, and chinchilla, Rupert.

James is a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association and the American Guild of Musical Artists.