Summer 2007 features three prestigious debuts for American tenor James Valenti, which includes Rodolfo with the Minnesota orchestra (Maestro Andrew Litton), Pinkerton at the Ravinia Festival and the Chicago Symphony orchestra [Maestro James Conlon] and a joint concert with Patricia Racette with the San Francisco Opera [Maestro Stephen Lord]. This past spring he performed Alfredo in Las Palmas and Toronto. He also recently performed Pinkerton in Palm Beach for their production of Madama Butterfly, preceded by Rigoletto for Opera Carolina which was shortly after his debut at the Semperoper, Dresden as Rodolfo to begin 2007. Just prior he had a triumphant debut at La Monnaie, Brussels performing Alfredo -“his voice radiant his projection natural and his musicality omnipresent - the revelation of the evening” in the Karl-Ernst and Ursel Hermann production of La Traviata. He also recently performed Alfredo with the Hamburgische Staatsoper and “was superb, possessing one of those tenor voices that instantaneously captivates and establishes its own importance” in his New York City Opera this past fall as Rodolfo in their season-opening La Boheme at Lincoln Center. In spring 2006 he performed his first Duke in Rigoletto for the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia after performances as Rodolfo in his return to Trieste, in Genova for their new Butterfly staged by Renata Scotto and his London Recital debut at St. John’s.

In fall 2005 he performed in the teatro comunale, Bologna’s season-opening new production of La Traviata under Music Director Daniele Gatti. The previous summer had brought him to the Salzburg Festival where he portrayed his Alfredo with Anna Netrebko and Thomas Hampson and the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Carlo Rizzi in Willy Decker’s new production. He had a triumph as Trieste’s Faust in a new David McVicar production in spring 2005. Just prior he was Florida Grand’s Edgardo in Lucia and sang the title role in L’amico Fritz at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, “revealing an emotional purpose in Valenti’s quiet singing…also an emotionally confiding stage presence”. Fall 2004 saw his debut at the teatro Carlo Felice, Genova in the title role of Candide as well as his debut at the New National Theater in Tokyo as Rodolfo in La Boheme, having performed this role with the National Symphony in the summer of 2004. Also in 2004 he performed Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore “with a seamless flow of burnished tone” as well as the title role in Puccini’s Edgar.

James made his professional debut in 2003 as Rodolfo at age 25 in Rome Opera’s Zeffirelli production of La Boheme. Mr. Valenti received his training at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and has received many awards in his early career, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2002. In addition he has made television appearances on Breakfast with the Arts in the U.S., on German and Austrian television and on RAI in Italia. He was also featured in Opera News magazine in their Sound Bites in 2004. Fall 2007 has him back in Dresden as well as in Marseilles for more Pinkertons. It will then be on to the Minnestota Opera for his first Roméo. Spring 2008 has him back at New York City Opera as Pinkerton and with Florida Grand for a new Boheme followed by his return to Hamburg as Nemorino and his La Scala debut as Rodolfo. Debuts in Berlin, Covent Garden, Paris and Barcelona are scheduled for future seasons. Mr. Valenti continues to study voice with Bill Schuman.