James Bowman

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    James Bowman was an influential English countertenor whose popularity led to the reintegration of the countertenor voice in modern vocal performance. He was known for collaborations with Benjamin Britten and David Munrow, and he recorded over 180 albums of music from all eras. Bowman was born in Oxford in 1941, and he started singing when he was very young. He attended school at the King's School in Ely, where he sang as a boy chorister in the Ely Cathedral Choir. He eventually became a head chorister, and he sang as a bass after his voice changed. However, in 1959 he made his first appearance as a countertenor at the Lady Chapel, and he remained in this range thereafter. Bowman became a choral scholar at the New College of Oxford in 1960, where he earned his diploma in education in 1964 and his M.A. in History in 1967. He also sang in the New College Choir, Christ Church Choir, and the Choir of Westminster Abbey. After his graduation, Bowman auditioned for Benjamin Britten's English Opera Group, and he was offered the role of Oberon in the first production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This also led to a debut performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Britten later wrote other music for him such as Canticle No. 4, and the role of Apollo in Death in Venice. Bowman also participated in numerous premieres of other works, including Ridout's Phaeton, Maxwell Davies' Taverner, and Tippett's The Ice Break. He worked with several leading early music ensembles such as the Early Music Consort of London and Pro Cantione Antiqua, and he became highly respected in that genre. Bowman toured and recorded constantly through the 1970s and '80s, and in 1990 he finally recorded Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. He received several honors and awards in the 1990s, including the Medal of Honor of the city of Paris, an honorary doctorate from the University of Newcastle, and he became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He accepted an invitation to join the prestigious Gentleman of Her Majesty's Chapel Royal of St. James' Palace in 2000. In the early 2000s, Bowman recorded the albums Eternal Source of Light and Songs for Ariel, and he collaborated with Andrew Swait and Andrew Plant on Songs of Innocence in 2008. He performed his final London concert in 2011 at Wigmore Hall with harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, and he continued giving infrequent recital performances. Bowman passed away in 2023. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi