James Gilchrist tenor
James’ musical education began in church choirs and as a cellist. He went on to become a treble in the Choir of New College, Oxford and a tenor in the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge.
He began working life as a doctor, before in 1996 turning to a career as a musician. Since then, James has had a vibrant and frequent association with the AAM, performing Handel at the BBC Proms, Mozart’s Requiem in Birmingham, a programme of English song at Wigmore Hall and starring in the world-premiere performance and recording of John Taverner’s Total Eclipse.
James’ musical appearances have been eclectically broad, ranging in scale from Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge with the Endellion String Quartet to Britten’s War Requiem and Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius at the Three Choirs Festival. His appearances on the concert stage are numerous, and he is well known for his performances of baroque and classical repertoire. He appeared with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra under Sir John Eliot Gardiner in their celebrated Bach Pilgrimage, and has performed the Christmas Oratorio with Ton Koopman and Mendelssohn’s arrangement of JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the OAE.