James Coole-Stevenson, baritone, has impressed audiences in a number of operatic roles thanks to his “sensitivity and nuance”. Currently living and working as a musician in Toronto, he strives for authenticity in each performance. 

In 2024, James had his professional debut as Ping and the Mandarin in Puccini’s Turandot, through the Gate City Bank Fargo-Moorhead Young Artist Program. There he fostered a love for Puccini, and developed serious interest in the role of outreach as a tool to educate and introduce people to opera. With his newfound desire to broaden Opera’s reach, James had the honor of participating in Manitoba Opera’s Digital Emerging Artist’s Program, where he worked with several industry talents to create a video project tracing his Newfoundland heritage through the lens of traditional folk songs collected by Maud Carpeles and Ralph Vaughan-Williams. Now a member of the Rebanks Family Fellowship, James hopes to hone his skills even further.