James Valenti
Internationally acclaimed Tenor James Valenti has built a global reputation for his elegant musicianship, commanding stage presence, ardent style and voice of warm Italianate lustre.
The sought-after 6’5” tenor trained at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Mr. Valenti made his professional debut at age 25 at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma as Rodolfo in the Franco Zeffirelli production of La Bohême. He has gone on to perform at the most celebrated theatres and opera houses in the world, including Teatro alla Scala Milan, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, Royal Opera House London, Opéra National de Paris Bastille, Sydney Opera House, Münich Bayerische Staatsoper, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Salzburg Festival and Opernhaus Zürich, opposite stars like Angela Gheorghiu, Thomas Hampson, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Leo Nucci, Maestros Antonio Pappano, Gustavo Dudamel, Carlo Rizzi and many more. He has showcased his vocal ability and acting versatility in a variety of roles such as Don José in Carmen , Don Carlo in Don Carlo, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Alfredo Germont in La Traviata, Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, Lt. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Werther in Werther , Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, the title role in Faust, and he portrayed Rudolph Valentino in The Dream of Valentino where he also got to flaunt his Tango dancing skills.
Mr. Valenti has been a recipient of many accolades and awards including The Richard Tucker Award in 2010, the Maria Callas Debut Artist Award 2009, The New York City Outstanding Debut Award in 2006 and he was the guest soloist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral NYC for Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in 2013.
Recent highlights include a large-scale concert in Budapest Hungary, concerts in Zimbabwe Africa, St Barth’s, Lake Como Cernobbio Italy, a special Tosca for the rebirth of New York City Opera, Madama Butterfly in Poland, Mexico and The Met, Carmen in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and Hamburg, Tosca for the Detroit Symphony with Patricia Racette, and a concert with fellow star Anna Netrebko at the Baden-Baden Festival in Germany. Upcoming includes Rodolfo in La Bohème in Hong Kong and Roméo with Opera Birmingham. Mr. Valenti is also a very active humanitarian, giving his time to help children as a celebrity ambassador with the global organization Children International, The Happy Hearts Fund founded by supermodel Petra Nemcova which rebuilds schools in disaster zones (James had the recent pleasure of collaborating with multi-Grammy winning songwriter David Foster in a private concert for Happy Hearts in New York), and Sing For Hope Foundation which promotes arts education.
In between his on-stage performances he makes time to give back to young emerging artists and has given masterclasses and lectures at The University of Texas Austin, Northwestern, St. Olaf College, the University of Minnesota, and his undergraduate alma mater West Virginia University where he received the honor of induction into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni 2015.
