Introduction

"Winnipeg native McLennan summoned up dramatic intensity when needed and with his terrific diction and lyrical delivery was another star of the night."
Winnipeg Free Press - Gwenda Nemerofsky

“Tenor James McLennan’s boyish good looks and fresh-faced innocence made him an ideal Candide. The richness of his voice and the emotional intensity he gave “It Must Be So” and “Nothing More Than This” lent the character and the opera the depth they require so crucially.”
Opera News - Christopher Hoile

 

Biography

Hailed for his “emotional intensity” (Opera News) with "a sweet lyric voice of great promise" (Opera Canada), Canadian tenor James McLennan has won praise for compelling portrayals in repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary works. A performer who “radiates considerable charm and sings with a strong yet pure tenor” (Toronto Star), he has appeared with opera companies and symphony orchestras from coast to coast.

An alumnus of Toronto’s famed Second City Training Centre, James McLennan’s recent and upcoming highlights include Beppe in PAGLIACCI for Opera Hamilton, the ST JOHN PASSION with the Grand Philharmonic Choir, ISRAEL IN EGYPT with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, CARMINA BURANA with the East York Choir and Walton’s FAÇADE with the Talisker Players. In 2009-2010 he was featured with the Winnipeg Symphony in Haydn’s DIE SCHÖPFUNG and with the Mississauga Choral Society in MESSIAH, and undertook intensive role study in Germany and Austria on a Canada Arts Council grant.

In the 2008-2009 season, McLennan returned to Vancouver Opera for Triquet in EUGENE ONEGIN and the Fourth Jew in SALOME, performed Adam in THE BIRDSELLER with Toronto Operetta Theatre, and created the role of Antoine Tassy in Opera In Concert’s world premiere of KAMOURASKA by Charles Wilson. The year’s concert highlights included the Evangelist in Bach’s ST. JOHN PASSION with Toronto’s Amadeus Choir, Mozart’s Mass in C minor with the Ottawa Choral Society, Britten’s COMPANY OF HEAVEN and Haydn’s ST. NICOLAS MASS with Thirteen Strings in Ottawa, and a chamber recital of Canadian music with the Talisker Players in Toronto. McLennan also made his hometown debut this season with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in the North American premiere of the Tavener REQUIEM.

Previous operatic roles include the Innkeeper in DER ROSENKAVALIER and Gastone in LA TRAVIATA for Vancouver Opera, Remendado in CARMEN for Calgary Opera, Laczi in DER ZIGEUNERPRIMAS and the title role in CANDIDE for Toronto Operetta Theatre, Almaviva in IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA at Saskatoon Opera, Soliman in ZAIDE with Opera in Concert, Tamino in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE and Stefano in FILUMENA at the Banff Arts Festival and Sesto in GIULIO CESARE for Pacific Opera Victoria.

Concert credits include the Bach MASS IN B MINOR with the Vancouver Bach Choir, Mendelssohn’s ST. PAUL ORATORIO for Toronto’s Pax Christi Chorale, CARMINA BURANA with the Prince George Symphony, the Bach ST. JOHN PASSION for the Calgary Festival Chorus, the Bach Magnificat with the TORONTO BACH CONSORT, and the Mozart REQUIEM with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He has also appeared on recital stages with pianist Peter Tiefenbach in Toronto and at Brandon University, his alma mater. James McLennan is featured on a Naxos recording of Charpentier's MESSE DE MINUIT and TE DEUM with Toronto’s Aradia Ensemble.

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, James McLennan holds a degree in French Translation from York University’s Glendon College.

January 2012

For further information, please visit www.jamesmclennan.com.

Full Repertoire

OPERA

Remendado

Beethoven	Jaquino	FIDELIO
Bernstein	Candide	CANDIDE
Bizet	CARMEN LE DOCTEUR MIRACLE
Britten	Lysander Quint	A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM THE TURN OF THE SCREW
Donizetti	Ernesto Nemorino Tonio Arturo	DON PASQUALE L’ELISIR D’AMORE LA FILLE DU  RÉGIMENT LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
Estacio	Stephano	FILUMENA
Gounod	Tybalt	ROMÉO ET JULIETTE
Handel	Oronte Sesto Grimoaldo	ALCINA GIULIO CESARE RODELINDA
Kálmán	Laczi	ZIGEUNERPRIMAS
Leoncavallo	Beppe	PAGLIACCI
Mozart	Ferrando Pedrillo Don Ottavio Tamino Soliman/Gomatz The Lover	COSÌ FAN TUTTE DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL DON GIOVANNI DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE ZÄIDE AMELIA GOES TO THE BALL
Offenbach	Paris	LA BELLE  HÉLÈNE
	Andrès/Cochenille/Frantz	LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN
Puccini	Goro	MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Rossini	Almaviva Don Ramiro Lindoro	IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA LA CENERENTOLA L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI
Strauss, J. Strauss, R.	Alfred Tanzmeister Innkeeper	DIE FLEDERMAUS ARIADNE OF NAXOS DER ROSENKAVALIER
Strauss, R.	Fourth Jew	SALOME
Sullivan	Nanki-Poo Frederick	THE MIKADO THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
Tchaikovsky	Triquet	EUGENE ONEGIN
Verdi	Fenton Gastone	FALSTAFF LA TRAVIATTA
Weill	2nd tenor	THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

 

CONCERT

Bach	Johannes Passion (Evangelist and Arias) Magnificat Mass in B minor Matthäus Passion (Evangelist and arias) Weihnachtsoratorium
Britten	Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings St. Nicolas
Handel	Messiah Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day
Haydn	Die Schöpfung Nelson Messe Missa Sancti Nicolai
Mozart	Krönungsmesse Mass in C minor Requiem in D minor
Orff	Carmina Burana
Rossini Tavener	Petite Messe Solennelle Stabat Mater Requiem

 

RECITAL REPERTOIRE

Complete list available upon request

 

Engaged By

Amadeus Choir
Aradia Ensemble
Bach Elgar Choir
Banff Arts Festival
Calgary Opera
Calgary Festival Singers
Opéra de Montréal
Opera Atelier
Opera in Concert(Toronto)
Pacific Opera Victoria
Patria
Pax Christi Chorale
Prince George Symphony
Saskatoon Opera
Soundstreams
Talisker Players
Tapestry New Opera
Thirteen Strings
Toronto Operetta Theatre
Toronto Philharmonia
Vancouver Bach Choir
Vancouver Opera
Winnipeg Symphony

Reviews

 

"Winnipeg native McLennan summoned up dramatic intensity when needed and with his terrific diction and lyrical delivery was another star of the night."
Winnipeg Free Press - Gwenda Nemerofsky

“Tenor James McLennan was a youthful Evangelist, a part suitable only for tenors of a special type. McLennan is clearly such a tenor…he managed the challenges of the role admirably and was also able to sing the tenor arias as well…he will undoubtedly be in considerable demand as a Bach singer.”
Calgary Herald

 

“Tenor James McLennan’s boyish good looks and fresh-faced innocence made him an ideal Candide. The richness of his voice and the emotional intensity he gave “It Must Be So” and “Nothing More Than This” lent the character and the opera the depth they require so crucially.”
Opera News - Christopher Hoile

“The standout in terms of diction, voice, pitch and character intensity was tenor McLennan, who becomes more impressive with each outing. He possesses a sweet lyric voice of great promise, and he finds the edge when the drama is needed.”

Opera Canada, March/April 2007

“At the top of the positive side of the ledger are two smashing performances from James McLennan as Candide and Jean Stilwell as The Old Lady…McLennan offers us an 18th-century Charlie Brown, with a sweetly smiling face no matter how grim the world gets. He also radiates considerable charm and sings with a strong yet pure tenor that does full justice to Bernstein’s arias.”
Toronto Star

“Tenor James McLennan in the title role displays a pleasing voice and is definitely someone to keep an eye on as his career develops.”
Classical 96.3

“As the Evangelist, James McLennan showed more than potential. Dispassionate when required, expressive when the music called for it.”
Le Devoir de Montréal

“Sober dramatization and perfect style.” (St. John Passion)
La Presse de Montréal

“The two leads, Tracy Smith Bessette and James McLennan, performed amazing vocal feats.” (La Fille du Régiment)
La Tribune Sherbrooke

“The vocal timbre of James McLennan…proved to be very moving when he sang with admirable sensitivity what is probably the best known aria of this opera: ‘Un aura amorosa’.” (Cosí fan tutte)L’Acadie Nouvelle

 

“McLennan was solid as Almaviva…he was hilarious as the drunken soldier and as the “music teacher.” Almaviva is really an amalgam of many roles, and McLennan pulled off the changing personalities beautifully.” (Il Barbiere di Siviglia)
Saskatoon Star Phoenix