Â鶹ÊÓƵ

A distinguished baritone and proud son of Leicester says an honour from his hometown university comes top of his long list of award wins.

Former BBC New Generation Artist and rising star of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, James Newby, has earned plaudit after plaudit for his live performances and recorded work.

The 32 year old added to his collection of treasured awards today (Friday 18 July) when he accepted an honorary Doctorate of Music from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

“This is, without doubt, the greatest honour of my career to date,” said James, who received his award at the University’s summer graduation ceremony, held at De Montfort Hall.   

“To be recognised in this way by an institution as prestigious as the Â鶹ÊÓƵ is incredibly special. But for me, it feels even more extraordinary given that Leicester is my hometown.

“I’m so grateful to Leicester for all the opportunities it gave me – from Welford Road to Grace Road, the Blaby Chippy to the Wigston and District Male Voice Choir. 

“Leicester shaped who I am today, and that makes receiving this recognition all the more meaningful.

“When you’re locked in a practice room for hours, or bouncing from flight to flight, rehearsal to rehearsal, it’s easy to feel a little detached. This honour, which has come so completely out of the blue, is a moving reminder that our work is seen, valued, and appreciated – and that is something I will truly cherish.”

As well as a 2022 BBT Award winner, James was an ECHO Rising Star (2022/23) with appearances at major concert halls throughout Europe.

A recipient of the Richard Tauber Prize for best interpretation of a Schubert Lied at the 2015 Wigmore Hall/Kohn International Song Competition, James has since enjoyed a close relationship with the Hall. Appearances there include Mahler Rückert-Lieder in 2023 with Mitsuko Uchida as part of BBT’s 20th anniversary celebrations, Die schöne Müllerin with Simon Lepper and a mixed programme of Dowland, Schubert, Wolf and Liszt with Joseph Middleton.

A member of the Ensemble of the Staatsoper Hannover from 2019 to 2022 he garnered praise for his debut as Eddy in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Greek.

James has since appeared at Opéra national du Rhin; Theater an der Wien; made his Garsington Opera debut in 2024 as Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and returned to Hannover, as a guest, for Eugene Onegin. 

This season, James will appear as Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opera North and at Opéra de Lausanne in a Laurent Pelly production, as well as Guglielmo for Norwegian National Opera, making his house debut in all three venues. The 2024/25 season also includes an important new commission for baritone by Michael Zev Gordon with the Britten Sinfonia; The Poet in Otto Ketting’s Ithaka Symphony for solo baritone with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra; and recitals at the Oxford Song Festival, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the National Concert Hall, Dublin.

Past concert performances include Haydn The Creation with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bart Van Reyn; Handel’s Messiah with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen; Berlioz with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Mozart with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recordings remain an important part of his schedule and James’ 2020 debut solo album, I Wonder as I Wander, with pianist Joseph Middleton met with worldwide acclaim and was awarded the Diapason d’Or Découverte. 

University President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, said: “It was a delight to see James’ reaction to receiving this well-earned honorary award.

“For somebody with such an esteemed international profile cling so fiercely to his Leicester roots is something to admire. He may spend much of his time performing around the globe, but Leicester is always in his heart, and we are lucky to have such a fine ambassador for our city.

“I would like to congratulate James on his honorary award and I hope his story inspires young people from our city to dream big, and follow their passion.”