James McCray was an American
operatic
tenor and
voice teacher.
Life and career
Born in
Ohio, McCray served in the
United States Marine Corps during the
Korean War before entering the
Mannes School of Music
Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School cam ...
in New York City where he was a pupil of
Patricia Neway. In 1962 he won the
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
In the Spring of 1965 he was active with the
Concert Opera Association at
Philharmonic Hall in NYC, singing Chekalinsky in ''
The Queen of Spades'' and Francesco in the United States premiere of
Hector Berlioz
In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
's ''
Benvenuto Cellini
Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...
''. The following summer he appeared at the
Stratford Festival of Canada as Jimmy Mahoney in
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...
's ''
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny''.
From 1965-1968 McRay was active with the
Israel National Opera; performing such roles as Canio in ''
Pagliacci
''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...
'', Cavaradossi in ''
Tosca'', Don Jose in ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
'', Manrico in ''
Il trovatore'', Riccardo in ''
Un ballo in maschera'', and Samson in ''
Samson et Dalila''. In 1969 he made his debut at the
New York City Opera as
Vladimir Igorevich Vladimir III Igorevich (October 8, 1170Putyvl, 1211) was a Rus' prince (a member of the Rurik dynasty). He was the son of Igor Svyatoslavich and was with him during his campaign against the Cumans on 13 April 1185, immortalized in the epic '' Th ...
in
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin ( rus, link=no, Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’yevich Borodin , p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin, a=RU-Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.ogg, ...
's ''
Prince Igor''.
The following year he sang the role of Count Loris Ipanov in
Victorien Sardou's ''
Fedora
A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...
'' with the
Opera Orchestra of New York, conductor
Eve Queler, and soprano
Judith de Paul in the title role. In 1971 he portrayed the role of Dick Johnson in ''
La fanciulla del West'' at the
Minnesota Opera. That same year he performed the role of Manrico with
Irene Dalis
Irene Dalis (born Yvonne Patricia Dalis; October 8, 1925 – December 14, 2014) was an American mezzo-soprano singer, who had a long international career at the highest levels of world opera. In 1946, she received her bachelor's degree from Sa ...
and
Betty Allen alternating in the role of Azucena for the
San Francisco Opera. In 1972 he created the role of Ken in the world premiere of
Harold Farberman
Harold Farberman (November 2, 1929 – November 24, 2018) was an American conductor, composer and percussionist.
Biography
Farberman studied percussion at Juilliard, and composition at the New England Conservatory and at Tanglewood with Aaro ...
's ''The Losers'' which was commissioned by the
Juilliard School.
From 1974-1976 McCray performed annually with the
Greater Miami Opera Association, portraying roles in productions of
Robert Ward Robert Ward may refer to:
Politicians
*Robert Ward (MP for City of York)
* Robert Ward (1754–1831), Irish MP for Wicklow Borough, Killyleagh and Bangor
* Robert Ward (American politician) (1952–2021), American lawyer and politician
* Robert War ...
's ''
The Crucible'',
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
's ''
The Flying Dutchman'', and
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''
Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887.
Th ...
'' under conductor
Emerson Buckley
Emerson Buckley (14 April 1916 – 17 November 1989) was an American orchestra conductor.
Biography
Buckley was born in New York City. After high school, he attended Columbia University, graduating in 1936. He began his conducting career that s ...
. In 1977 he had a particular triumph at the
Seattle Opera as Siegfried in Wagner's ''
The Ring Cycle
(''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelung ...
''.
After retiring from singing, McCray lived and taught in The Hague, Netherlands at th
McCray International Studio for Vocal Arts He died in January 2018.
Breaking news : American tenor JAMES MCCRAY and Italian soprano CLAUDIA CARBI died in January
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References
External links
Official Website of James McCray
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccray, James
20th-century births
2018 deaths
American operatic tenors
The New School alumni
Winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
Musicians from Ohio