The Israeli soprano Gal James is rapidly gaining recognition as a one of the most important voices of her generation. After completing the transition to the soprano ‘fach’ in 2005 she joined the opera studio of the Staatsoper Berlin. Most recent appearances include her debut in the title role in a new production of Jenufa staged by Peter Konwitschny at Oper Graz and a new production of La Juive (Rachel) also staged by Konwitschny at the Vlaamse Opera. Other Past engagements include Arabella at the Thearter St. Gallen Elsa in Lohengrin, Marietta in Die tote Stadt, Desdemona in Otello, Chrysothemis in Elektra, Liú in Turandont, the title role in Manon Lescaut, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nūrnberg, the title role in Rusalka, Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Marguerite in Faust, Michaela in Carmen all at the Oper Graz she sang and recorded Mimi in La Bohème at the Opera of Valencia under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, the title role in Rusalka at the Semperoper in Dresden, Mimi in La Bohème at Festival de Verano in San Lorenzo de El Escorial and the Quinceno Musical Festival in San Sebastián. In the season 2015-2016 she will return to the Vlaamse Opera to sing Mimi in La Bohème. On the concert platform she sang Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with Hervé Niquet conducting and a selection of Strauss Songs with the Grazer Philharmonisches Orchester at the Wiener Musikverein. The Vier Letzte Lieder of Richard Strauss she sang with several orchestras include the Oslo Philharmonic, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Bochumer Symphoniker under the baton of Steven Slaone; She also had the honor to sing Shostakovich’s Fourteenth Symphony with the Sinfonieorchester St Gallen, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and recorded the same with the Liverpool Symphony Orchestra. James sang Mendelssohn’s Elias with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Mendelssohn’s Psalm 42 with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony and Beethoven 9th Symphony with the Bochumer Symphoniker, Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok in Budapest and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the Israel Symphony Orchestra. Gal James performed with the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, with the Israeli Philharmonic Singer’s Chorus, in the Heine Festival at the Jerusalem Music Center and at the Abu-Gosh Festivals near Jerusalem, the Augusta Symphony Orchestra in Augusta Georgia and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Gal James already had the pleasure to work with renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Seiji Ozawa, Riccardo Chailly, Neeme Järvi, Steven Sloane, Julien Salemkour, Michael Boder, Vasily Petrenko, Johannes Fritzsch, Ion Marin, Dan Ettinger and Jukka-Pekka Saraste Hervé Niquet. Gal James won several competitions. In July 2006 she won the third prize at the Belvedere Competition in Vienna. She won the first prize in the Aviv Vocal competition in Tel Aviv on December 2005. Other prizes include the first prize in the Voice Competition at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel-Aviv University in 2002 and “The Best Performance of the Israeli Art Song” prize at the Aviv (Spring) competition in Tel Aviv in 2003 and 2005. She studied at the High School at the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem, graduated as a cello player. In 2003 she finalized her studies at the voice department at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv coached by Prof. Mira Zakai. She continued further studies with Patricia McCaffrey.
