The American bass created the role of Abraham Lincoln in Philip Glass’s The Perfect American at Madrid’s Teatro Real, which he reprised for English National Opera, Opera Queensland, and the Brisbane Festival. A winner of the 2009 Lotte Lenya Competition, James has appeared repeatedly at Opera Roanoke, Opera Ithaca, Central City Opera, and Knoxville Opera, among many other companies. He has also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and New York City Ballet. On Broadway, James created Lurch in The Addams Family and portrayed Hassinger in the Tony-winning revival of South Pacific. He has performed at City Center Encores! and with theater companies throughout America, as well as on television (30 Rock, Murphy Brown) and on film (The Gift). James was named as the BroadwayWorld 2010-2020 Vocalist and Performer of the Decade, the 2019 Breakout Opera Artist of the Year by Verismo magazine, and The Most Innovative Opera Singer of 2019 by The Classical Post.