James Pinneri is a classically trained baritone from Perth, WA. He completed his Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice at WAAPA in 2022 under the tutelage of acclaimed Baritone Michael Lewis OAM. James’ Operatic roles include Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Freeze Frame Opera 2024), Ben in Menotti’s The Telephone (West Australian Opera 2024), The Usher in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury (Perth Symphonic Chorus 2024), Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Kazoo (Freeze Frame Opera 2024), and Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’Amore (Opus WA 2024).

James’ concert repertoire includes Bloomhouse Projects concert Homegrown as a soloist, baritone soloist for Morning Melodie and Mandurah Morning Melodies (West Australian Opera 2024), and baritone soloist in Enchanted Encounters – Songs of the Supernatural (West Australian Opera 2024). James is a member of the West Australian Opera Chorus and has performed in Dvorak’s Rusalka (2024) and Puccini’s La Bohéme (2023).

James was the Bloomhouse Projects Emerging Artist for 2024 courtesy of the Diane & Dr Ken Collins AO Award. He is the inaugural recipient of the ‘Winifred Hurford Award for A Singer’ (Royal Schools of Music Club), a Young Artist (Perth Symphonic Chorus 2022-24), and was the recipient of the Men’s Vocal Championship Award and Most Outstanding Senior Vocalist Award (North of Perth Music Festival, 2023).

James is living in Sydney during 2025 after having been given a position in the Young Artist Program with Pacific Opera, where he is singing the role of Papageno in Mozart’‘Die Zauberflöte’, in an Opera Scenes concert he is singing the role of Marcello in Puccini’s ‘La Bohème’ and Publio in Mozart’s ‘La Clemenza di Tito’ under the tutelage of Peter Coleman-Wright AO.

Image credit: Keith Saunders

AT THE FESTIVAL