James Morris (bass-baritone)
James Peppler Morris ( born January 10, 1947 in Baltimore) is an American opera singer with the voice bass baritone.
Life
Morris was born on 10 January 1947 as a son of James D. Morris, vice president and sales manager of the dairy Koontz in Baltimore, and his wife Geraldine in Baltimore. He attended the University of Maryland, the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, studied voice with Rosa Ponselle and was already at the age of 23 years as the youngest singer ensemble member of the Metropolitan Opera. Since then, he performs at all major opera houses such as the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Vienna State Opera and the Paris Opera. Engagements as soloist have taken him to the Bavarian State Opera, Covent Garden, and to Berlin.
Morris is married to his second wife, the mezzo-soprano Susan Louise Quittmeyer since 3 January 1987, and lives with her in New Jersey. They have two children ( twins).
Repertoire
- King Philip in Don Carlos by Giuseppe Verdi
- John Claggart in Billy Budd by Benjamin Britten
- Mephistopheles in Faust by Charles Gounod
- Baron Scarpia in Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
- Iago in Otello by Giuseppe Verdi
- The Dutchman in Der fliegende Holländer by Richard Wagner
- Wotan / Wanderer in The Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner
- Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner