James is from Nottinghamshire and took part in a Sutton Trust History Summer School at the University of Nottingham in 2009. He studied History at the University of York, then went to Guildhall School of Music & Drama for a Master’s in Performance as a Tenor singer. He now works as a professional opera singer.

Here, he tells us more about his career journey and gives his advice for anyone looking to pursue a career in music.

Tell us a bit about what you’re currently doing.

“I have a portfolio career, which means I do a variety of things, which is quite common in this sector! My main work is as an opera singer where I perform in stage productions, and I also do session work (recordings), sing with choirs, perform at events, and some teaching.

I’m freelance and I do have some regular work, but mostly the work is ad hoc. In this sector you’ll find a few things advertised and there’s listings online (for example, Audition Oracle or YAPTracker), but generally you find work through word of mouth – a message from someone who saw your concert, general networking, keeping in touch with people you’ve worked with, etc. As your reputation builds, you can plan more in advance.”

Why did you decide to pursue music as a career?

“I grew up in Nottinghamshire, and I was immensely lucky that the cathedral in the county had a choir with a state school attached, which is pretty unusual as choir schools usually charge fees. My Mum saw a poster one day about auditions for the choir. I came from a family where there wasn’t much experience of classical music and I’d not had much music tuition at all up to that point, so just I auditioned thinking it was something to try out.

I got in and it was like a lightning rod – suddenly I was doing 7 or 8 music sessions a week from the age of 8 until I was 14 and I had the opportunity to learn instruments. I did well at school, and I spent so much time in the music department and all my friends were musicians or singers – I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

What do you remember about your experience on your Sutton Trust programme?

“I did a History Summer School at Nottingham and it was fantastic, I had so much fun. Most of my experience up until that point was with kids from the local area, so the Summer School really broadened my horizons. I got to meet others from around the country and experienced what it would be like going to university.

I’d thought about studying Physics as this was what my A-level subjects leaned towards, but the Summer School solidified my choice to study History. I had some positive feedback from a professor during the week who said he thought I could really excel in it, which spurred me on. I find what I learned so useful for my work now as it gave me some historical context for the music I perform.

The Summer School made the whole experience of applying to university and going much less daunting – when I got there, I had no real worries and I didn’t really feel imposter syndrome.”

You went on to study your Master’s at a music college – what was this like?

“Music college is quite different from a traditional university – I went from York where there were around 400 other History students, to moving to a department of around 25-30 people at music college. It was a big change and also quite intense – you’re often working collaboratively with other students but you’re also sometimes in competition for the same auditions and opportunities.

The expectations are quite different – lots of marks come from your performances, which is quite pressured as you never know how you’re going to be on performance day. Music college really expanded my knowledge in terms of the business of being a musician and I came out with a huge number of contacts. I went in with an abstract view of music as a career but came out with an understanding of what is expected and what I need to work on. It set in stone for me what I wanted to do.”

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your career?

“The biggest challenge is the cost of it all. Music is a very hard career to break into if you don’t already have the resources – auditions, lessons, and coaching all cost money. There are scholarships available, but it takes a lot of time and work to apply for them, so it’s a bit of a vicious circle for those without the means. However, I would say if you really want it, it’s worth it.

Also, I think you can feel a bit of imposter syndrome – you’re amongst a lot of people from more well-off backgrounds and you can be working in grand buildings, meeting celebrities etc. You sometimes get a feeling of, “what am I doing here?” But over time, as you build up on it, it does start to fade.”

What do you enjoy about your work?

“The best thing is the variety – every day is something different and you meet a huge range of people. Performing is such an incredible thing to do, you’re almost living for that next experience where you feel completely connected to what you’re doing. It’s indescribable. You have really quite deep experiences and build strong relationships with the people you work with.

You have to be prepared to really put yourself out there and to come at it with confidence, and not compare yourself to other people. Don’t feel bad if you don’t progress as fast as other people, it’s all quite relative.”

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to go into music?

“I’d say my best piece of advice is to do something else as well aside from music. If you want to make this career work, you can rarely just jump into it.

If you go to university, do your research. Even if you’re studying another subject, there may be opportunities to pursue music alongside it. I still 100% think studying History at university was the right thing to do as I was involved with the Music Department alongside, I did gigs while I was at university, and I was even able to take an elective music module as part of my degree. After my degree I worked for a while in arts marketing, and this was how I could afford to perform and have enough to keep myself going until I could move to doing this full-time.

It’s really valuable to be able to have varied experiences to draw from and it keeps you grounded, particularly in the times when pursuing a music career can feel a bit relentless.

Finally, I would say be careful not to get swept up in making comparisons with others – if you’re doing it and enjoying it, that’s what matters. Never lose sight of that.”

(photo credit: Helena Cooke)

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