Introducing American Barihunk James Wright

Jim Wright

Grand Island, New York native James Wright is new to our site, but may be a familiar site to devotees of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, where he has competed twice in the Buffalo/Toronto District division. He was inspired to pursue singing after hearing Bryn Terfel sing in Wagner's Das Rheingold at the Metropolitan Opera.

He's currently singing the Count in Nickel City Opera's production of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, where someone on the production staff suggested that he be featured on Barihunks. Performances are on June 26 and 28 at the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, New York.  Wright is also the Artistic Adminstrator of the company, as well as an adjunct professor of voice at Canisius College. Figaro will be sung by Valerian Ruminski, who founded the company.

He has performed Gruffydd in Roger Ames’ How Green was My Valley with El Paso Opera, Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca with Nickel City Opera, The Pilot in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince with Opera Sacra, John Sorel in Menotti's The Consul with Western New York Chamber Orchestra and Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute with Undercroft Opera of Pittsburgh. 

Upcoming performances include being a festival artist at Sherrill Milnes' Savannah Voice Festival this summer where he will perform Richard White in Michael Ching's Alice Ryley, a Savannah Ghost Story.