James Clayton is one of Australia’s most versatile baritones, acclaimed for his rich vocal colour and commanding stage presence. A former professional French horn player, he has built a distinguished career on both operatic and concert stages.
A long-standing principal artist with West Australian Opera, he has sung the title roles in Il barbiere di Siviglia, The Marriage of Figaro, Falstaff, Macbeth and The Mikado, as well as Conte di Luna in Il trovatore, Marcello in La bohème, Escamillo in Carmen, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Germont in La traviata, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Iago in Otello, the Four Villains in The Tales of Hoffmann and the Forrester in The Cunning Little Vixen among others.
Elsewhere, he has performed the Forrester and Macbeth for State Opera South Australia and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Adelaide Festival. For New Zealand Opera, he has performed Angelotti in Tosca, Escamillo in Carmen and the title roles in Rigoletto and The Mikado.
On the concert platform, James’ many appearances have included performances with the West Australian, Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmanian and New Zealand Symphony orchestras. His repertoire features Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Missa solemnis, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust.