James Gilchrist emerged as one of the leading English tenors in the latter part of the 20th century. He has sung a wide range of repertory, from J.S. Bach (St. John Passion) to Berlioz (L'enfance du Christ) to Britten (War Requiem), and on to such modern fare as Knut Nystedt's Apocalypsis Joannis. He has scored equal successes in lighter works, like Gilbert & Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore, where he portrayed Ralph.
Gilchrist was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on April 29, 1966. While he exhibited a strong talent for music in his youth, his choice of profession initially was that...